


Family Jewels

by captainjames



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood, Devil May Cry (Game), Devil May Cry 2 (Game), Devil May Cry 3 (Game), Devil May Cry 4 (Game), Parent Vergil (Devil May Cry), Serious Injuries, Single Dad Vergil AU, Uncle Dante (Devil May Cry), Violence, dante helps vergil raise nero, dante is a good duncle, i dont know how to tag this, i love using that term with him lmao, neros fun dad uncle, slight body horror, vergil voice: so basically im dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-03-20 20:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18999826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainjames/pseuds/captainjames
Summary: Vergil shows up at the door of Devil May Cry with nowhere to go and a baby in his arms. Dante, being the good person he is, lets him back into his life after a year and helps his brother with this situation.





	1. Surprises

**Author's Note:**

> i love me a happy au where vergil is a single dad and dante is a duncle who helps raise nero, so voila. thought this would be a fun idea to write. make my dreams come true lmfao. im working on chapter 2 as this is uploaded, so thatll be up soon. takes place throughout mostly 3 and 1, 2, and 4, but ill have to see about 5.

   It was a cold, rainy night when it happened; that sudden knock on the door. At first, he'd thought it might be an interested customer, but it was well past closing hours. 11:30 pm, to be exact. The lights for the shop outside were off, and there was a notice on the door with the posted business hours. Anyone would just walk up to the door, look at the times, and come back later. This piqued Dante's curiosity, who was just beginning to head to bed. However, he knew better than that. Who knows? Somebody could be in danger and was coming to him for help. Despite the voice in his mind saying to ignore it and pass out already, the hunter shook his head and began trudging down the stairs. The ends of his pajama pants slid against the floor with every step he took, and he released a yawn as he grabbed the door handle.

  
"Devil May Cry, how can I help y-"

  
   Dante stood there in silence by what he saw, shock overcoming his face as he looked at the figure being pelted by raindrops. There, on his doorstep, was Vergil. His older twin brother, right in the flesh. God, how long had it been since he'd last seen him? It couldn't have been more than a year, at least. Vergil looked like absolute shit, and the bags under his eyes spoke for themselves. He covered himself in a ragged brown cloak, breath coming out in slight shudders, tinted breath showing just how bitter the temperature was. One hand clenched around Yamato, and the other was holding... Was that... a baby? It was kept underneath the cloak, safe from the rain, and protected from the cold with a blanket wrapped around it's body. It's eyes were covered, lips parted gently, which meant that it was asleep. It took a while for Dante to process the information in front of him before the wind blowing snapped him out of his thoughts, goosebumps forming due to a lack of a shirt. The white haired man looked back and forth real quick, making sure no one had been following Vergil, or that they were in any danger before he opened the door to let them in. Once they were inside, the room lit by a mere lamp next to his desk, he closed the door, locking it back up. Blue eyes quickly fell back onto Vergil, watching him pull back the hood of the cloak, his hair a complete mess. Vergil took a hand a swiped it back through his hair, giving him the signature look that Dante knew him for.

  
"...Verge?"

  
"Hello, Dante." Vergil paused before speaking again. "It's been some time now, hasn't it?"

  
   Yeah, no shit. Disappear for a year since their last meeting, searching for that power that he desperately wanted for himself. With memories of the lost time coming back to his mind, anger began to boil inside of Dante, causing him to clench his fist together. He spoke sternly, yet softly, to show his disappointment in his brother and to keep the child resting from waking. With his free hand, he pointed a finger at him, heated gaze glaring at him with furrowed brows.

  
"Some time? _Some time?_ No, you don't get to say that. You don't decide to fuck off and suddenly come back. You decided to disappear from my life due to your selfish needs!"

  
   In that year, Dante had been so relieved to know that Vergil was alive; that he'd survived the house fire. He'd already lost their father and mother, he couldn't afford to lose him too. Dante had seen the panic in Eva's face when she hid him away in the closet, telling him to be strong, and to change his name when this was all over. The worry in her voice when she ran off to search for Vergil had caused Dante's own worry to bubble up from within. Tragically, that search had led to her death, and Dante had done what she'd told him to do; run away. Run away, start a new life, and go by a new name. With Eva dead and Vergil nowhere to be found, he accepted that his twin was also gone. It was too much loss for a child, and Dante had to learn to fend for himself in a world all alone and on his own. But that fateful year at the ripe age of 18, he was reunited with Vergil. However, Vergil had changed much over time, causing him to become more distant and cold. Eventually one day, he'd disappeared, in pursuit of information about their father, as well as how to become stronger. Power. Power power power, it was all Vergil talked about. It was sickening, and showed Dante just how corrupted and tainted Vergil became. They'd clashed before the elder vanished, leaving a bigger mark on their relationship. And now Vergil was right here before him, thinking he could merely show up again. As Dante lashed out at his sibling, he could see Vergil's vision focus on the floor, avoiding Dante's furious gaze.

  
"I thought the worst, Vergil. I thought that you were _dead_. Do you know how long I'd thought you were gone? I spent my whole time growing up thinking you were gone. And then to inflict that upon me again?"

  
"..."

  
   Its late, so so late, but he's angry. He's so incredibly angry, and he's gotta get these feelings out somehow, or else he'd just keep them within and bottle them up. Now Vergil is here, and he can finally unleash these emotions. Dante gave a deep sigh, releasing his clenched fist and raised his hands up to run them over his face, tiredness settling in. He could just deal with this tomorrow. He could just put this hissy fit to a stop, and resume it when they're awake. They'd both be rested, and he could go through the list of questions plaguing his mind.

  
"God... You know what? Save it. We can pick this up tomorrow. You're obviously in need of a place to stay for the night, am I right?"

  
"That would be correct."

  
   Figures. Why else would he be here like this? Dante pointed to two doors in the back of the shop.

"One of them is a bathroom, the other is a guest room. There, both you and the little bundle of joy can crash. I'm upstairs, so if you need anything, just... Wake me up or something. There's clean clothes in the drawer, and the washer and dryer are upstairs if you need to use it."

  
   Vergil readjusted the blanket around the child in his arms, brushing some of the white strand of hairs aside to look at it, then lifted his head up to glance at Dante. He nodded his head softly, and gave a hum in response. "My gratitude, brother," he spoke.

  
   That was the closest thing to a thank you it seemed he'd be getting. Eh, it was good enough, knowing that Vergil would rather die than thank his twin for something. Dante only scoffed, shaking his head and mumbling to himself. He watched Vergil step out of his boots, placing them by the door alongside Yamato, and hang the cloak up on the coatrack. Doing so had woken the child up, causing it to begin making confused babbling noises, arms reaching out to grab onto Vergil's vest. A soft shushing came from Vergil as he ran his hand over the baby's head, attempting to calm it down, helping to lead it back to it's deep sleep. Dante slowly moved his way towards the two of them, looking over his brother's arm to stare at the child below. White hair, blue eyes... Curious.

  
"Yours?"

 

"Yes."

  
   Ah. Another question to be brought up tomorrow. Who would've thought? He'd love to hear the story behind that. Between the two of them, Dante thought for sure he'd end up slipping up one day.

  
"...Got a name?"

  
"His name is Nero."

  
   Nero... Huh. Looks like he's gonna be an uncle. Dante smiled down at Nero, feeling giddiness blossom within his chest as the baby looked up at him, giggling once they made eye contact. He placed a hand upon Nero's face, running a thumb over the kid's cheek, already feeling a fondness for the troublemaker he'd no doubt become. For now, Dante needed sleep. The grandfather clock in the room chimed as it struck midnight, telling the hunter to go upstairs. He gave Vergil a look, and then shuffled over to the lamp to turn it off, then made his way towards the stairs to go up. He heard the sounds of Vergil speaking tenderly to the child before he made his way into the guest room, closing the door. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	2. Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dante finds out about how Nero came to be, and works things out with Vergil.

   Dante wasn't used to people besides himself staying at his shop. It was enough for one person, plus a guest if the time came, and was a tight squeeze with the rent. The money he made from jobs was just enough to get him by, just barely paycheck to paycheck, but he was sure that with word spreading, as well as actions seen by others, his business would be booming. So when he woke up and heard chatter coming from downstairs, Dante quickly shot up in his bed, reaching for Rebellion, which sat leaning next to his nightstand. He'd had a few demon infestations from within the shop, seeing as he was fresh meat, being a son of Sparda. Dante quietly made his way out the door and tiptoed into the hallway. His grip tight on the sword, the hunter peered over the stairs' railing, releasing an internal sigh as he saw Vergil sitting on the sofa with Nero in his lap and a book in one hand. It seemed like Vergil was reading to Nero, who seemed quite curious as to what he said, despite having no understanding of the words. That's right... He'd nearly forgotten the events of the previous night. There was a lot he'd have to work out today, and so much to discuss. Dante's grip on Rebellion lightened, and he headed back into his room to shower and dress for the day.

  
   Once he was clean and at least had pants on, seeing as shirts just didn't suit him, Dante made his way downstairs to start his day. The creak of the stairs grabbed Vergil's attention, to which he looked up from his book and stared at Dante. He was dressed in a black tank top and a pair of blue sweatpants, which looked so foreign on him, compared to the attire he usually bore. Vergil scoffed at his lack of clothing, probably thinking to himself how unproper he was, and went back to his book. Nero sat on one of his legs, back resting against the arm curved around him, yellow sash of Yamato resting in his mouth. Dante approaching them caught Nero's attention, to which he looked up at his uncle and smiled, clapping his tiny hands together as the sash fell out of his mouth. Dante couldn't help but chuckle, leaning a hand over to ruffle Nero's hair. He made his way over to the kitchen, popping open the fridge door to take out a leftover pizza box. He took a slice, and bit into the cold, pure heaven that was this Italian gift from god.

  
"I bid you good morning, brother."

  
"Good morning to you too, Verge."

  
   Vergil nodded his head in acknowledgement, keeping his sight on the book in his hand. A moment of silence passed between them before Dante spoke again, placing a hand under his chin as he chewed.

  
"Have you eaten yet?"

  
   Vergil scoffed in judgement. "All you have around here is pizza and booze, Dante. I had to go out and find myself something to eat. It's tragic, the way you live."

  
"Hey!," Dante furrowed his brows at the insult, and took another bite of the slice. Count on Vergil to always be rude about things... The younger twin looked over at Nero, curious yet again by the book his father read. Dante swallowed, and spoke once more.

  
"Has the little fella eaten yet?"

  
   Vergil nodded yet again, still reading. "Yes. I bought a banana and mashed it up for him. He's only five months, so he can't quite eat solid foods yet."

  
   Huh. So it seems Vergil had done his research. Which was good, since he was taking care of this child after all. He always was a bookworm and strived to know as much as he could. Dante always pictured Vergil as one of those fathers who'd leave a baby on a streetcorner, or a nicer picture, on the doorstep of an orphanage. There was just something so... Domestic about seeing him like this. Domestic and familial. Like he was truly capable of leading the next generation of Sparda through life. It was strange in a way, but perhaps this strange change was for the best. He'd take a fatherly brother over one that was on the verge of snapping and stabbing him for simply breathing. Speaking of fathering, Dante had some questions, and wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery. He finished off the pizza slice in his hand, and grabbed another one.

  
"So, Vergil...," he chimed, taking interest with how his brother turned his head to look at him, wondering if he'd expected this discussion to happen so soon. "Care to fill me in? How did that little buddy come into play? Who's his poor mommy, and what were you up to during your time away? You gotta give me the details, bro. Can't keep it all to yourself."

  
   Vergil sighed, marking his place in his book with a fold of the page corner, and closed it. Setting the book off to the side, he scooted Nero back to sit on the middle of his leg, bouncing it up and down to keep the kid amused. The elder leaned his arm upon the back of the sofa, resting an elbow upwards to rest his fist underneath his jaw.

  
"Very well..." He cleared his throat. "During my time away, I searched for information to gather on our father, Sparda. I came upon a city called Fortuna, along with a religious group called The Order of The Sword. They appeared to be more alike a cult, but that was just my perspective. It turns out that they worship Sparda, like he is some sort of god. They saw him as a savior."

  
   Dante's eyebrows shot up, piqued by his interest. Huh! Who would've thought that his actions would've had such a large impact. Their father, seen as a god... The white haired hunter leaned in closer on the counter, listening to Vergil's tale.

  
"During my time investigating the city and the Order, I ended up having relations with a woman, who ended up mothering and giving birth to Nero."

  
"Hold up, you actually hooked up with someone? Like completely willing and wanting to do all that shit? Wow, Verge. You sure have changed, huh?"

  
   An irritated noise came from Vergil, who only glared at Dante's comment. "Hush. Yes, I experimented, but you can see where that got me. Now I suggest you close your mouth before you make any 'safe sex' jokes I know you want to make."

  
   Dante snorted a bit, looking away with guilt as he silenced himself with another bite of cheese pizza. He looked back over to find Vergil staring at him, to which his smile transitioned into a frown, and he gave an ahem.

  
"The next time I stopped in Fortuna for more information, she instantly recognized me, and shoved this child in my arms, telling me how I'd ruined her life, and that she never wanted to see me in this city ever again. Nero's mother stormed off after that, and became impossible to find. Nero was only four weeks old when that happened. I was tempted to simply give him to the orphanage, but..."

  
   Vergil ran a hand over Nero's head, threading gloved fingers through the soft, white hairs of his head, looking down with such a fondness.

  
"When I looked down upon him, and saw his face, I couldn't refuse. After all, he is the next generation of Sparda men, and our father would've wanted us to continue the bloodline. No matter how it would be continued."

  
   After that, Vergil stopped speaking, leaving his focus on the child at hand. He sighed, gripping the child's jaw lightly with his index and thumb, lifting Nero's chin up. He gave a satisfied hum, stopping the bouncing of his leg, and reached for his book again. Dante had been so lost in the story that he found himself focusing a bit too much on the both of them. He snapped himself out of his trance, and finished up the slice in his hand. He broke down the box, placing it in the recycling bin, and flopped himself down next to Vergil, shoulder huddled up next to his as he gleamed brightly at his twin. He watched the irritation twitch on Vergil's lips, and the elder simply grumbled to himself.

  
"Y'know, I sure am proud of you, bro. I thought for sure you'd leave 'ol Nero behind! Nice to know that you still have some heart." That, to which made Vergil grumble once more. Dante leaned his head against Vergil, watching as Nero's eyes fluttered open and closed, waiting for him to give in and pass out. "So... What're you gonna do now? I mean, you've got this kid to take care of, after all. And you've got no career. How are you gonna live like this."

  
"Simple," Vergil began. "I'm staying here with you, and I'll help you with your business. We both will hunt, and our paychecks will be combined. However, we cannot go out on jobs together. One of us must stay home with Nero. I don't trust humans to look after my own kin. That leaves you, so you will take care of him while I work."

  
"Hey, that's so unfair! Do I even get a say in any of this? It's my place and business, after all!"

  
   A harsh chuckle came from Vergil. "No, Dante. You don't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading, and thanks for all the kudos & bookmarks so far! this has been really fun to write.


	3. Challenges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dante learns to take care of Nero, and Vergil deals with thoughts plaguing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for a slight vomit mention, thats all

   It had been three months ever since Vergil showed up on Devil May Cry's doorstep with Nero; cold, shivering, nowhere else to go. For less than five months, he'd been transitioning from place to place during his travels, shelter to shelter so he could take care of the child that was thrust into his life. His want for power and need to grow stronger with every breath he took was put on hold, now that his new quest was to simply get by in life, and help Nero grow healthy as well. Dare he say that knocking on Dante's door had been the best decision he'd made- despite having to deal with him as well. The first few weeks were rough, knowing that Dante both ate and lived like a pig, making the shop absolutely dreadful to be in. Dante was the kind of man who'd only do his laundry when he was out of something, causing him to wear certain items over again, and the scent coming from his dirty laundry basket whenever Vergil went upstairs made him clench his teeth together. Vergil was often coming close to grabbing Dante and dragging him up the stairs, forcing him to do his laundry. But instead of reaching towards these acts of violence (and it wouldn't be good for Nero to end up in a household like that), he simply made loud complaints. Loud, constant complaints in hopes that it would at least train him to become more aware of his surroundings. And thankfully due to his complaining, Dante slowly fell into a routine of washing his clothing every two weeks.

  
   Vergil even got him to start cleaning up after himself more, pleased with the fact that the shop wouldn't be as much of a cluttered mess. It would still be a mess because, well, it was Dante's, and he wasn't the prim and proper man his twin was. But a little was better than nothing at all. Papers would be stacked and filed away in desk drawers, dust would be removed from countertops and shelves, and his younger twin would even look into budgeting. When Vergil had learned that Dante barely kept track of his own funds, he couldn't believe his ears. Thankfully, now that Vergil had started working jobs and helping to pay off the rent, that added two incomes to the household. But even with more money coming in, Dante still needed to not be so foolish, else he'd end up deep in the pits of debt. If Dante dared spend his money on something useless like booze, he'd simply get a summoned sword to the head when Nero wasn't looking. Dante had put up a fight at first with these changes, but he eventually got used to not living so nasty. He'd never say it, but it actually relieved him a bit, knowing the shop wasn't impossible to get through. No more magazines on the floor, no more pepperoni pieces that fell to the floor rotting and growing mold... But the biggest change he was still getting used to was Nero. He didn't know how to take care of a baby, and it kinda ticked him off to know Vergil one upped him on this. He was supposed to beat him at his own game, after all. But no matter how many times he'd held Nero, he was nervous. The first time he held Nero, he'd nearly dropped the poor child on the ground, Vergil snatching him from his hands and preventing him from holding him for a week, his trust obviously shaken. It took a couple tries, but he eventually got it right, supporting his head and neck in the crook of his arm, using the other arm to balance underneath. He liked holding Nero against his shoulder up until he'd puked all over his red trenchcoat one day. Much to his embarrassment, Vergil had even watched it happen with his own two eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards in a silent chuckle, the elder holding a fist over his lips. With the moment hidden away as blackmail, he'd wached Dante freak out that his coat was ruined, and that his nephew vomited all over him, causing him to panic. Dante had quickly learned that babies were messy, needy, and required constant attention. Oh, and not to mention loud.

  
   Nero was the kind of child that bathed in the attention given to him, and began crying if no one was noticing him. There were many sleepless nights spent, just waiting for him to start crying, whether he was hungry, stressed, or needed changed. Most of the time Vergil attended to him, since his crib was in what was now Vergil's room. But some nights Vergil had brought Nero upstairs, dropped him onto Dante's lap, and shuffled away, mumbling how it was his turn to deal with the 'little bastard' he'd dubbed him. Nero was eight months at this point, which meant he could eat solid foods, as well as sit up straight in a high chair without needing any support. His hair grew more, and he'd began speaking more. It was only a few basic words, with his first being 'Dante' (and his uncle was incredibly honored), but it was a milestone both brothers were proud of. They both started discussing random things with Nero, encouraging his development. Vergil began reading more to him, with Shakespere being his favorite kind of story to tell. Somedays Dante would be leaning in the chair near the sofa, a beer in his hand and a leg crossed over as he listened to them. Vergil's storytelling often put him to sleep, The Merchant of Venice especially causing him to doze off. Dante would often sing to Nero, his voice soft and soothing. The kid would always smile when he'd start to sing, tilting his head as the foreign sound of The Carpenters and Heart flowed through his ears. Dante would occasionally catch a glance from Vergil, watching him turn away when their eyes made contact.

  
   Whenever Vergil went out for jobs, Dante did his duty and watched over the kid, which made for great uncle and nephew bonding time. He discovered that Nero liked to chew on the keys of his motorcycle, which wasn't the best thing for him to chew on, or even have in his mouth. Dante was told by Vergil that he'd began teething at 7 months, and needed healthy things to chew on. It was strange to find teething rings in the fridge, but it seems that the cold helped soothe a baby's gums, since teething was uncomfortable. Nero also loved playing with stuffed animals, toy xylophones, and balls with holes in them. Dante would find himself laying on the floor, pushing the ball towards Nero, watching him clap his hands and throw it back at him. It really felt like he was becoming a more responsible adult. After all, he was an uncle only at 19, and perhaps even a father figure for the little fella. Internally, he called himself a duncle, which made him chuckle. It seemed that his constant time spent with his nephew as well as the exhaustion from working began to affect Vergil. He usually went out to complete more jobs, since he'd felt he fit the description of the calls more, but he also needed to get out and deal with the stress that was childcare. Slaying demons and monsters was the perfect way to release pent up emotions, aside from dueling his brother. But one day when he'd come back with a hefty paycheck and blood stained on the fabric of his boots, Vergil opened the door to find Dante sitting on the ground with Nero in front of him, the toy xylophone between them. He would tap a key, hand it over to his nephew, and encourage him to repeat the process. Whenever he did, Dante happily praised him and clapped his hands lightly. Doing so made Nero giggle with an expression lit up from joy. He was glad his brother was beginning to care for him more, but... Suddenly he felt so irresponsible. Like he was bested at his own game, and that Dante would make a better father than him. Nero certainly seemed to enjoy time spent with him more. Nero was his child, and it should be his primary duty to be the one always beckoning to the call when it came to him. It was an irritating feeling. Vergil closed the door behind him, stepping out of his bloody boots, and resting Yamato against the wall. The noise dragged Dante out of babysitting, and grabbed his attention. Turning towards Vergil, he smiled, picking up one of Nero's arms to mock a wave.

  
"Hey, Verge! Welcome home. How'd things go today?"

  
   Vergil only replies with a glare, feeling the odd sensation of jealousy beginning to bubble from within. He doesn't like it. It makes him feel like he can split apart this life they'd both built for themselves. But perhaps this was a feeling long coming. He trudged over to the desk, slapped the wad of bills down on the desk, and made his way towards his room, dropping his coat on the coat rack as he passed by. The door closed behind him and Vergil sat down on the edge of his bed with a sigh. Dante was left to wonder what put him in such a negative mood. Yeah, Vergil was harsh and bitter at times, but it seemed like something was truly bothering him. Not wanting to leave Nero out of his sight, the hunter picked up the baby, resting him against his shoulder as he made his way towards Vergil's room. He knocked with his free hand, a questioning tone in his voice.

  
"Vergil? Hey, what's up? Did something go wrong with the job, or something?"

  
"Leave me be, Dante. I do not wish to be disturbed."

  
   Following his twin's suggestion probably would've been for the best, but when did Dante ever do that? He could deal with an upset Vergil, it wasn't like the world was ending simply because his brother was irritated. So Dante opened up the door anyways, and listened to Vergil groan with disappointment as soon as he stepped in.

  
"C'mon, Verge. You know better than to leave me out of details." Dante over exaggerated a fake pout, dropping himself down right next to Vergil, though making sure to keep some space. He knew he wouldn't attack him, especially with Nero in his arms, but Vergil's quiet temper was not something to underestimate. "If you don't tell me, you know I'm just gonna keep buggin' you. So despite your pissy mood, you're gonna tell me no matter what."

  
   Another groan, followed by incoherent, soft mumbling came from Vergil, running his hands down his face. "You've bested me, Dante."

  
"I- Huh? I'm not quite following..."

  
"I've seen the way you interact with Nero. I've seen the way he seems to be more pleased with your presence, and I've seen the way you take care of him, both while I'm here, and while I'm gone." The elder huffed. "You've beaten me at my own game, brother. You've become a better father than I could be."

  
   Ah... So he was feeling envious. Dante couldn't help but internally smile being told by the one and only Vergil that he was better at something, but that was soon overwhelmed by sudden guilty feelings. He had been spending more time with Nero, which gave him the opportunity to grow as a parent... Vergil was busy working and making them money, and didn't leave much time for the child and his father to bond. He could see where this was coming from. But it was unbelievable to hear that from him. Dante furrowed his brows in confusion, mouth agape slightly with shock.

  
"What? _No way_ , bro! I'm totally not better!" He scoffed, almost sounding offended. "Hell, Vergil, you're the one who had to teach me how to take care of the little troublemaker! You're the one who read all about how to take care of a kid, and you've got more experience than I do. You were prepared. Me? I nearly dropped him when I first held him! So no, Verge. I'm no way a better parent than you."

  
   He emphasized on his statement by jamming a finger into the middle of Vergil's vested chest, making sure what he said got through. At first, it seemed like Vergil was surprised by what he'd said. But his expression slowly transitioned into his usual calm, collected state after absorbing what was said. Vergil simply hummed to himself, looking down at the wooden floor.

  
"Hm. I see... Perhaps I underestimated my own abilities. I am confident in what I can do most of the time, but seeing how happy Nero was with you made me question my own role as a father. I haven't spent as much time with him as of recently, and I'd say I'm paying for that. Dare I say I became a little insecure?" Vergil chuckled and looked up from the ground. "My suspicion had no use being there. I appreciate your words, brother."

  
   Dante only nodded in a reply, knowing he'd still get no thank you. A silence sat between them for a while, before he lifted Nero off of his shoulder, handing him over to his brother.

  
"Here. I think you two need to rekindle your bond. It's time I take a break, wouldn't you say." The hunter gave a whole hearted laugh, pressing a kiss to the little fellow's forehead. "How about you take a break from jobs for a while, and I'll take a break from babysitting? I get to pick up my slack on work, and you get to spend time with your son. It's a win win scenario."

  
   And just as Vergil was about to agree, the phone on Dante's desk rang, causing the white haired man to hop up and dart out of the room. After the second ring, he picked up the phone, pressing the top end to his ear and spoke in that soothing voice, "Devil May Cry." Vergil got up, poking his head out of the door, listening to Dante's discussion with a likely customer, releasing an 'Uh huh', 'Okay', and 'I see' after a moment to listen to the other end. Eventually he placed the phone back down after bidding a goodbye, and rubbed his hands together.

  
"We got ourselves a job! Or should I say, _I've_ got _myself_ a job. This guy, Arkham, says he's found a demon infestation nest nearby. Had the password and everything. He wants me to go out and take care of business tomorrow. He also mentioned he'd pay double. Ha! Looks like we won't have to worry about this month's electricity after all."

  
   Vergil paused for a moment. Wait... He knew that name.

  
   Oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> vergil voice: and i- oop!


	4. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dante goes out on the job, and Vergil meets someone new.

"Dante... You can't go on this job."

   Vergil gripped the frame of the door tightly, giving the younger brother a worried look. He couldn't. He simply couldn't. Not if this involved Arkham. Once he'd heard that name slip from Dante's lips, it felt like his world came to a stop. He'd met Arkham before in a library during the previous year, to which he knew of Vergil's heritage and powers. This grabbed his attention, as Vergil had beel searching for more information about his father. The two came to a mutual agreement that Arkham would help Vergil with his pursuit for power, and work for him as a partner when the time came. They'd discussed what plan they'd put forward, involving his and Dante's amulets, as well as raising a tower for the ritual to open the hellgate and rule over the mortal world. But that was all before Nero happened, and Vergil had to take on the responsibility as a father, burying thoughts behind of his hunger and need for strength. Though becoming acquainted with the scholar, Vergil always sensed a certain tension between them, and that made him suspicious and unwilling to completely trust him. If he was coming after them, then it seemed like his plans had changed, and he'd be taking things forward all by himself. That means that he'd do anything to obtain their amulets, no matter the cost. Vergil stepped out of his room, Nero in one arm as he approached the other, staring him right in the eyes.

"I mean it, Dante. I forbid you."

   Dante only scoffed at him with disbelief, leaning back in the desk's chair and setting his legs on the top of his desk, dirty boots be damned. He crossed his arms, squinting at Vergil.

"Huh? Are you serious? I told you that you can't take any more jobs for a while! You're the one who just had a pissy fit about not spending time with your kid." Clearly an exaggeration, but Dante always needed to make things more dramatic than they actually were. "You need to be the one to stay home, okay? I know you like to think I'm less superior and worthy of these jobs compared to you like the ass you are, but I got this. I'll be fine."

   His facial expression turned soft as he looked at his brother. "This guy wants to pay me double, Verge. You hear that? Double! This is such a rare chance for us to catch up on finances and become more stable. It's unlikely that we'll get chances like these often, but I gotta take it up. And for just the simple cleaning of a nest? Easy money! I'll be out and back in no time." Dante gave a confident smile along with a laugh.

   Vergil sighed, seeing that there would be no stopping him. No matter what he'd say, Dante would just ignore him and go out. There was no use in warning him. He was young and foolish who rode on the high of a good killing. He grunted in defeat, threading fingers through Nero's hair, making it stick up whenever he lifted his hand from the strands. He'd just have to follow Dante when he went out in the afternoon, and- Ugh... He'd have to find someone to look over Nero while he was gone. A human. Just the thought of one existing near his child made his blood boil, but it was something he'd have to put up with. After all, he wasn't idiotic enough to bring a baby into battle. That seems like something Dante would end up doing.

   Vergil ended up washing up from the job that day, sat and ate with Dante, fed Nero, and waited for Dante to go upstairs and prepare for bed. In that time, Vergil snuck a telephone book out from the desk's drawer, skimming through to find numbers for child care, and called up one of the sitters. Scheduling for them to arrive after Dante would leave, Vergil hung up the phone, and ran a hand through his hair, tugging lightly on the back of his head. Just for one day, he'd told himself. Just one day he could tolerate Nero being watched by a human...

-

   Once Dante was dressed, he'd equipped his guns in the holsters on his back, armed himself with Rebellion, and grabbed his motorcycle keys. He'd made sure to ruffle Nero's hair, as well as Vergil's hair before he left. With a quick goodbye, the hunter closed the door behind him, turning the key and revving up the engine. Listening to the sounds of the bike taking off, Vergil frowned to himself, readjusting the mess that had become his hair. Already set for the day, the elder simply had to wait until the sitter arrived, and then he'd take off himself. The destination wasn't too far. Dante was heading for an abandoned warehouse in the middle of Red Grave, which is where the nest was. Vergil had a small plate set out before him, Nero sitting in the high chair with a bib tied around his neck. On the plate were tiny pieces of sliced up fruit, and he was feeding them to him. He hadn't been taking too kind to the apricots, so Vergil had pushed them off to the side. Picking up a piece of plum, he slowly inched it towards Nero's mouth, telling him to say 'aah' as he placed it in his mouth. Taking the spoon out, he watched as his son reacted to the fruit, chewing it gently at first, and then clapping his hands together and laughing, telling Vergil that he liked plums. It was best to know what foods he liked beforehand, since there was a good chance Nero would be a picky eater. Some time passed, and Vergil had begun to start worrying. He knew Dante could handle himself, but who knew what Arkham would be up to once he'd arrived on sight? There was a good chance that the man himself was in charge of the nest. Vergil looked over at the clock, seeing that it was almost 2 pm. Dante had left around 1, and Vergil couldn't help but tap his fingers against the table. A knock on the door took him out of his worrying trance, telling him that the sitter had arrived. Getting up from the counter, the white haired man tugged up his pair of boots, tying Yamato's sheath to his belt and hip, the handle pointing outwards. Opening the door, Vergil allowed the young human inside, introducing him to Nero. And it there was a slight bitterness in his voice, either the human didn't notice, or chose to ignore it. He gave him instructions on what to do, how to keep Nero entertained, where all his care supplies were, and made sure to notify him that he didn't know when he'd return. But all in all, he would still be paid fairly for his work in the end. Vergil placed a kiss on his child's forehead, and bid the sitter a goodbye.

   He'd stepped out of the door and paused on the doorstep, mentally going through the directions on how to arrive there. He and Dante knew Red Grave well, seeing as this was where they'd grown up, and lived throughout their lives. Vergil had traveled more, but he still knew his home well. However, Vergil had only ran a few blocks down before the ground started shaking beneath him, and everyone around him. The world around soon became chaos as the ground started cracking, pieces of buildings ahead breaking off and windows shattering as a large tower had erupted from beneath the earth, taking out everything in it's path as it shot up. Ah- So he was going forth with this plan, much to Vergil's worry. But if the Temen-Ni-Gru was resurrected, then that meant... Oh, god! Vergil's balance began to fail with the trembling of the ground, causing him to hold onto a streetlight, hearing several spark and their lightbulbs to blow out. The people around him were screaming in terror, pointing at the tower, and running away from it. The shaking eventually stopped, with the ancient contraption sitting in the middle of the city, ready to be put to use. Arkham must be inside it, making his way through to the top...

"Damn it," Vergil cursed. He slowly got back onto his feet, making his way quickly towards the warehouse. Once he'd arrived, gripping his sword, he'd stepped over fallen debris, thanking the gods that it was out of range of the tower. Vergil began looking around, gasping once he found the figure of Dante laying on the ground in the distance. And... there was another figure with him. The elder made his way over towards Dante, batting away the woman's hands which were laid upon him much to her confusion, and placed two fingers against the crook of his neck. Still a pulse... Vergil removed them with a sigh of relief, noticing the large stab wound within his chest, and the missing amulet. The woman next to him shuffled, standing to her feet, and before he knew it, there was a gun pointed to his head.

"Who... Who are you?," she asked, a nervous vibration from within her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm his brother. I've come here to help him. What happened to him?"

   A silence sat through the room they were in before the woman slowly pulled the gun away, yet still tense. "My father did this to him. I tracked him down here so I could kill him, but he attacked us both, knocking me to the side with a blow, and stabbed him right through the chest. He took some sort of necklace from him and took off, ending up with him raising that tower in the middle of town." The brunette shifted her gaze from Vergil, down to the body of Dante. "I'm... I'm afraid you're too late."

   He'd placed a palm against his brother's cheek, shaking his head in disagreement. Vergil turned to look up at the woman and spoke. "I'm afraid you're wrong." And before he knew it, he heard the slow meshing of flesh forming back together, grabbing the brunette's attention as she gasped and stepped away. Vergil turned to look back at Dante. hearing the sudden intake of air as he shot up, his wounds completely healed. Dante ran hands over himself, patting his body down, and looked up at the figures before him. He smiled once he'd seen Vergil, chuckling and ran a gloved hand through dirty locks.

"I can see why you didn't want me to take that job. I gotta feeling you're keeping some valuable information from me, brother. Wouldn't you say?" Dante huffed, feeling around for his amulet, shoulders slumping once he felt it was gone. "He took it. Fuck. Turns out my employer only wanted to kill me. That nest? It was all a cover up so he could stab me and take off with my half. And they say the customer is right..."

   A teasing tone, but it was something they could discuss later. Vergil winced at the jab beforehand, but knew there were more important things at stake. Dante noticed the other figure, and gave a small wave towards her. "Oh hey, lady! Didn't think you'd still be here! Shouldn't you be off going after your dad? Y'know, that whole revenge thing you were yelling about while we fought him?"

"Yes," she replied. "But I wanted to make sure you were okay. Father had mentioned about the fact you were a demon and that you'd heal before he left, but I didn't believe him... Now I know better."

   Dante raised himself to his feet, dusting off his coat, and helping Vergil up as well.

"So, what's your name? What're you called around these parts?"

   The girl grew tense, heterochromic eyes lidded slightly with a mix of anger and sadness. "I don't have a name anymore. That part of me died along with my mother. It's the reason I'm going after my father; he did that to her." Ah... So she had a more personal issue that needed to be worked out. Dante and Vergil both gave a slight 'hm', nodding their heads at her reasoning, and Dante spoke to her after.

"Well, if that's how it is, I'll just call you Lady! I'm Dante, and this is my twin, Vergil. Seems like he's gonna be joining up with me on this job after all." And then he turned to face him with a pout in his expression. "Sorry, Verge. Looks like we won't be getting paid."

   Vergil said nothing, only pressed his lips together in a firm line. Lady took the gun in her hand and placed it back in the holster on her leg. She picked up the rocket launcher that laid on the ground, strapping it around her shoulder, and holding it close to her to keep it steady. She turned to both boys, a sudden seriousness on her face.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, I'd suggest we start slacking around, and go after that son of a bitch."

   They all came to the same agreement. Dante picked up Rebellion from where it rested next to him on the ground, and stuck it between the holsters to sit on his back. And then he paused, turning towards Vergil with a horrified look.

"Vergil, where's Nero?! Don't tell me you left him all alone back home! He's just a baby!"

   Vergil shot him an offended look. "Stop worrying, brother. I hired a sitter to watch over him while I was gone. Must you jump to such dramatic conclusions? He's my child. I wouldn't dare do such a thing."

"Wait... You let a human near your kid? Wow, Verge! This is growth! I'm so proud of you!"

   Lady glared at the both of them "Can you two talk about this some other time? We have important matters at stake! The both of them grew silent, slowly shuffling off after her as they left the warehouse and made their way towards the Temen-Ni-Gru.

"Hehe... You let a human babysit your kid..."

"Silence!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for all the comments and kudos, guys! im so blown away with how much love you all have given this story. i love reading all of your comments, and my apologies if i dont get back! your support for this fic only inspires me to want to write it more, and im having a blast with this au.


	5. Temen-Ni-Gru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dante, Vergil, and Lady take on Arkham.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a lot of fighting and violence in here. action isnt my best suit, but i tried my best! hopefully it turned out okay!

   They had to make their way quickly over to the tower, since the fate of mankind was definitely at stake. Who knew what Arkham would do once he'd had the power of a god within his hands? Dante already had a clash with him, leaving him bitter about being lied to and taken advantage of, so that was all the more to go after him. Vergil wanted revenge on the man who had harmed his family, and to prevent him from using the information shared between them to obtain his goal. And Lady... She wanted him gone. She wanted to stick a gun to his head, and blow his brains out for what he'd done to her poor mother. The three were more than motivated, and were prepared for anything thrown at them. Vergil knew that there were several levels in the tower, and several creatures who'd guard the doors, preventing those who dared challenge to pass from going any further. They all needed to focus on the task at hand as much as possible. All three were anxious, especially Lady, who tended to tick her nails over the strap slung around her shoulder that connected to the rocket launcher.

  
   Entering the first floor, they were met with a large three headed beast that guarded the way in, and it snapped it's fangs at the group. It didn't quite help that Dante's taunting only angered it more, causing it to attack them. With the help of a couple rifles, several Judgement Cuts from Yamato, and a few Stinger jabs right in the faces of all three heads, the beast backed down, recognizing that not all of them were human, to which the twins scoffed. "You think?," Dante replied in amusement. The beast allowed itself to be of use to them, transforming into a large pair of icy nun chucks, to which was given to Dante. After a moment of testing the new weapon, they continued to make their way through the tower.

  
   Making their way through the tower was more difficult than imagined. It took Vergil's help to open the door to the Astral Chamber (which in reality, he'd only jammed Yamato's edge into the device, making Dante feel like an utter idiot). They'd shuffled their way through a couple chambers, as well as a library, picking up a couple of valuable items to solve the puzzle of where to go. It was in a large chamber filled with holes where the flying centipede-like creature spawned, shooting electricity at them, making this more of a challenge for them. But just like they'd done with the cerberus, the gigapede went down, allowing for the three to move on.  
It stayed like that for a while, their fights and dealing with creatures spawning becoming repetitive, but fighting them only helped them all grow stronger. Each level they passed through especially gave Lady more confidence to face her father. After defeating two guardian statues, obtaining them as weapons (one of each went to Vergil and Lady respectively, though Lady preferred a handy gun), passing three trials, opening a skull gate, and finally, finally, making their way to the top of the Temen-Ni-Gru, it was time to end this. Dante and Vergil looked at each other with a nod, and looked over towards Lady for reassurance, making sure she was still up for this. There was a great determination in her eyes, and she began leaading them up the pathway towards the top. She'd gasped slightly, finding that Arkham had been waiting for them the whole time, flipping the pages throughout the tome he'd kept in hand. The sound of their feet moving against the ground grabbed his attention, and the scholar lifted his head, marking his place in the book and closing it.

  
"Ah! I see you all have made it. I was expecting more time to have been taken to get here, but I can see I was wrong. Now we can finally start." The smirk on his face caused Lady to grit her teeth together, Dante noticing the amulet that hung around his neck. "Now now, _Mary._ You know better than that. Where's my sweet, innocent little girl? Where has she gone?"

  
"I'm not your little girl anymore, _father._ That girl vanished the day you killed my mother. I'm here to end this, no matter the cost. I'll kill you in cold blood..."

  
   A chuckle came from Arkham. "Oh, I'm sure you will! But little did you know that you've brought me exactly what I need, my child..."

  
   In the blink of an eye, Arkham had teleported from behind Vergil, taking a knife out from one of his shirt pockets, and stabbed him right in the back. The elder in took a quick breath, feeling the drip of blood sliding down his back and staining his vest, the wound already beginning to heal. Arkham took that moment to rip the amulet from his neck, taking the knife out. He knew that wouldn't kill him, nor would it do much damage to such a half breed, but he took the opportunity for a distraction, leading him to his target. Dante gave an angered growl, Lady furrowed her brows, and the both charged after him to fight him. Moving back behind Vergil, Arkham took the opportunity to sweep below them, sending a leg and foot hurdling around, knocking them all over in the process. With help from his enhanced strength, he kicked each one of them across the top of the tower while they fell, sending each one hurdling off and rolling on the ground. Lady groaned once she came to a stop, reaching for a gun quickly, pointing it at him and shooting. Each round simply hit him in the chest, and he didn't even flinch. Lady managed to stand up, tossing the empty pistol aside, and reaching for one of her rifles. Dante was the next one to recover from the attack, mirroring Lady's strategy as he took Ebony and Ivory out, repeatedly firing at the man, watching the bullets simply hit him with no repercussion. The memory of his previous fight came back, and he grunted, sticking the boys back in their holsters, and taking Rebellion out. As Lady fired once more, Dante charged after Arkham, tip about to sink right into him before he turned around, grabbing ahold of the sword's edge with a slicing of his flesh, blade sinking right into his hand. Arkham used the opportunity to begin pushing the sword away, much to Dante's dismay, and managed to punch Dante right in the stomach, making him drop Rebellion, to which Arkham picked it up and jammed it right through his chest once more. Barely missing his heart, Dante choked on the blood coming out from his throat, spitting out saliva induced drops. It began to run down the sides of his mouth, as well as seep out from his chest.

   The frustrated voice of Vergil echoed with a yell as he charged towards the scholar, Yamato's blade prepared to do it's work. With Lady continuing to fire rounds and distract Arkham, Vergil took the chance to run the blade right across his chest, stabbing him in the side. Arkham only made a grunting noise from that, reaching a hand to remove Yamato from his side, and before Vergil could act quickly enough, the man repeated his actions, slicing Vergil across the chest, ruining his coat and vest, and stabbed him in the side with his own blade. With the added strength and seriousness from his own weapon, this caused Vergil to drop next to where his brother lay, unconsciousness threatening to take over his mind. He shakingly looked over at Dante, who stared back at him with pain written across his expression. That only left Lady to fend off Arkham. Panic quickly took over her as she continued firing round after round, using gun after gun as her father made his way towards her, but she stood headstrong and confident. Anger filled her eyes as she shot harder, completely aware that he was right in front of her. She gasped when the gun was snatched from her hand, and she reached for the knife sitting in the holster on her leg, but it was too late. Arkham had taken the gun by it's handle, smacking the barrel across her face hard, causing her to lose balance and topple over, rocket launcher loose from it's strap as it rolled off behind her.

  
"Oh, my sweet daughter... Do you know that you can't stand a chance against me?" Blood ran out from her cheek, staining her face red as her skin throbbed in pain. Arkham looked over at the brothers, doing their best to recover from their wounds before he tried anything else. Dante weakly tried to drag himself across the stone floor, but that only caused the sword within his chest to sink in further, and he cried out in pain. Vergil only grabbed ahold of his foot, preventing him from pursuing. "And I expected more from the sons of Sparda! Truly, this is a tragic day..." Arkham began mocking the motion of tears falling.

  
"Dante...," Vergil spoke out to him softly.

  
"You've brought me exactly what I wanted... I already have the two halves of the perfect amulet. This will give me the power I desire. But why stop there? It's true that these are required to open the gate to the demon world. However, Sparda had sealed off the tower with one last key; the blood of a mortal priestess. Which is why having you here, my dear, is so important."

  
   Taking the knife from before, he stabbed Lady in the leg, allowing it to slather all over the steel blade before he took it out, pleased with the scream of pain that came from her.

  
"You are a descendant of said, priestess, Mary. You were the icing on this cake, and now I have all I need! Now if you'll excuse me, I do believe I have somewhere to be."

  
   And with a wholehearted, crazed, comedic laugh, he'd disappeared in the blink of an eye, making his way down to the Torture Chamber to do his bidding, leaving the three behind on the top of the tower. They lay there, bloodied, beaten, and struggling to recover from their fight. The twins would recover more quickly than Lady, which only worried them. Would she still be able to fight? Would she be able to move on with them? She was merely human, and her life was more at stake. She'd shown how strong she was, and how desperately she wanted to end this with her own hands. It would only be fair to allow her to kill her father, and put an end to her pain. And yet with the wound that was embedded within her skin, it would wear her down. Both twins slowly got up, balancing themselves on their feet as they used each other for support.

  
   The rumbling of the tower below their feet was only more bad news as the stone began to break apart and shift, Vergil pushing Dante off to the side before he'd rolled over towards him, avoiding falling down below the circle that opened up. Vergil looked over towards Lady and seen that she had done the same, though looking as if she was in more pain from avoiding the fall. It was all they could do as each of them watched in horror as Arkham was raised high above them, surrounded by several statues, completely prepared to open the gate to Hell itself.


	6. Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dante and Vergil finish off Arkham, and Devil May Cry gains a new member.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, sorry it took me a while to get to this chapter! i was busy all last week working on prop commissions, as well as attending a convention that weekend. i even debuted my dmc1 dante cosplay and met a bunch of amazing dmc cosplayers! but yeah, this chapter is up after forever lmao.

   The chime of large bells took the trio out of their recovering stances. The twins, getting back to their feet, slowly steadied themselves, hands wrapping around the handles of Rebellion and Yamato, tugging the swords out from their skin. The punctured wounds began to heal, despite the blood staining the back of Dante's coat, as well as covering Vergil's whole outfit. The screeching of blood-goyles grabbed their attention once more as an orange portal opened in the sky above, unlocking the gate to the demon world that had been closed over two thousand years ago. The creatures circled around the Temen-Ni-Gru, free to roam the human world once again. The twins, though worried, made their way over towards Lady, who was sitting on the ground, leaned up against one of the pillars, tending to the wound upon her leg. She took out gauze from one of the pockets upon her belt, tearing the fabric with her teeth, and wrapped it around the stab wound. Once tied, Lady looked back up upon the sky, releasing a sigh and furrowing her brows upon the sight of the hellgate that was open, and Arkham transporting as he floated to the other realm. Giving a frustrated groan, the brunette hit the back of her head against the pillar, looking over towards the two boys who knelt by her side, eyes filled with anger.

  
"This was supposed to be my duty, you know. Every inch of my soul was yelling at me, screaming to finally put an end to him; to free him from what he's become. Now...," She pointed towards the portal, surrounded by screeching blood-goyles. "Look what's happened. I failed. I failed my mission, and now he will obtain that power he's so desperate for."

  
   The twins stayed silent, Dante's lips pressed together as he nodded his head in response to her disappointment and grief. They were all at a disadvantage. It seemed like he was much more powerful than they thought. But, Vergil thought, now that we've had a taste of what he's capable of, that will only prepare us for the future. After all, he had the amulets in his hand; he was bound to obtain the sword of their father, and grow even stronger. And with a little bit of motivation to take him down and work together, he would surely go down. The brothers could certainly go on. But what of their guest? It seemed like they had the same thing on their mind as the boys glanced at each other, before turning back to face Lady. Vergil was the one who spoke to her.

 

"Can you still fight?"

  
   She simply nodded. "Yes. I've dealt with these kind of wounds before while hunting my father down. Demons are not so kind, but I've learned." Proving so, she stood up carefully, the gauze tied in place on her leg. "However, I know that he holds more power than I'd believed him to have. I... I want to continue! This is my family matter, after all. But... I now realize that taking him down would be best suited for you both. He's most likely waiting for us up there."

  
"Here." The brunette reached down towards the ground to pick up the rocket launcher that had once hung over her shoulder. Pushing it towards both of the boys, her gaze steady and strong, she looked towards them with soft eyes, and a slight plea within her pupils. Dante took the launcher, and placed it against his shoulder. "You'll need this. The Kalina Ann is all that I have left. I can see that no mere amount of guns will be able to kill him, but..." She pressed her lips together.

  
   Dante simply gave her a smile, wrapping the launcher's strap around his shoulder, giving the Kalina a couple pats. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him. We both will." Vergil nodded with a hum. "I promise you."

  
   It was all they could both offer her to help her in this situation. With a mutual understanding now in place, the twins made their way up the sides of the level they currently resided on, climbing onto the rocks and brick form to get to the portal's platform. Lady watched as they both shrunk into the distance, added height making them seem to grow smaller, and leaned back upon the pillar. She slowly sunk back down to a sitting position, arms wrapped around herself as she released a shaky breath, her whole world unsteady. They had to do this... Else she couldn't bear to live with the fact she'd failed to finally avenge her mother. _Dante, Vergil, please free my father..._

  
-

  
   Dante and Vergil had made their way to the top level after a while of climbing, taking the stairs that led up to the platform, and stood on the glowing circle surrounded by blood and markings together. Dante gave Vergil a smirk, crossing his arms as they were lifted up towards the hellgate, entering the world that their father had sealed away. How strange, he'd thought. This wasn't exactly how he'd wanted to visit Sparda's birthrealm, but he supposed it would have to do for now.

  
"Just another way of picking up after dear old dad, huh Verge?" He'd simply scoffed at that, shaking his head.

  
"I suppose so. We've been targets of this kind of destruction our whole life. Sparda may have been a hero to some, but there will always be those who deemed him a traitor. We will just have to keep fighting, Dante." An unspoken understanding of who wanted them to die floated between them.

  
   The younger groaned at that. "Ugh. I've hated having to always prepare myself for the worst, but you're right. As much as saying that leaves a bad taste in my mouth..."

  
   This time it was Vergil's turn to laugh, merely chuckling at the disgusted tone in his voice. "Learn to get over it, Dante. You're not right about everything."

  
   A couple moments passed between them as they were led to their destination, two pairs of boots stepping onto the floor beneath them, purple and white glowing lines moving beneath them, the ground leaving a sloshing noise behind. They moved together to take in their surroundings before heading straight ahead to find where their destination would be. The twins eventually approached an opening in the ground below them, which caused Dante to pause. Watching him from the corner of his eye, Vergil stopped as well, both reaching for their weapons as they picked up on the sound behind them, the clashing of one blade against two. As both turned around to defend themselves, they'd come face to face with the perfect image of their father's demon form, very much knowing it wasn't him. It seems Arkham had obtained what he was looking for... Vergil had remembered more of their father than Dante had, which had caused his eyes to widen upon seeing Arkham's current state, and only angered him more, seeing such a wasted abuse of power. The two pushed back against the blade, sending Arkham back as well, glowing red eyes gleaming at them with a taunting look.

  
"Pray tell me, boys, how does it feel to gaze upon your father's image?," deep, echoing voice asked with malice.

  
   Vergil simply frowned, Dante laughing and responding to him in return, knowing he'd always have some sort of comeback prepared for any situation. The younger twin tilted his head, scrunching the bridge of his nose together.

  
"It's like staring into a backed up toilet." Vergil snorted at that. "Why do you keep on sticking your nose into other families' business? Don't you have any hobbies?"

  
   He'd began laughing at Arkham, to who started laughing back before beginning to transform, shifting into something bigger, more powerful with a gelatinous form. Upon seeing this, Dante had stopped laughing in an instant, blue pupils widening as both he and his brother watched the transformation unfold before them. A silence passed between them before Dante raised a brow, lifting Rebellion up to rest the blade carefully against his shoulder.

  
"Dude, our father wasn't so hideous! Can't you tell by looking at us?"

  
   That seemed to irritate the corrupt Arkham, causing him to shoot an arm out towards Dante to attack him, but with a slice of a blade, the hand fell down to the ground, angering Arkham who's voice was filled with disbelief. Vergil stood in front of Dante, Yamato in his hand and unsheathed, blue and purple blood dripping down the sharp, silver blade. Dante gave his twin a surprised expression, knowing he needed to keep up with this fight alongside his brother. Taking Rebellion off his shoulder, the two had set out for a fight, charging towards Arkham, blade tips pointed straight towards him. With a burst of energy right next to him, Vergil had heard the sound of Dante's demon awakening within him as he acquired his Devil Trigger, seeing the red patterns surround him as wings protruded from the back of his scaly body. Much to his surprise, Vergil knew that knowing his brother's trigger had been unleashed, they could use this to their advantage to take Arkham down. Using this chance, Vergil triggered himself, allowing his own wings to spread as their swords clashed against the demon before them, sticking right into the body of the beast.

  
-

  
   After a long, tiring, and brutal fight, the twins had finally gotten Arkham down to a severed state, his body nearly to the point of collapsing. But even with their added strength together with the bonus of their devils, he still wasn't going down. With Yamato in Dante's hand, and Rebellion in Vergil's, the two had swapped with the force of both swords being pushed through the beast's body. With one last slice, the twins stepped back, returning to their normal forms.

  
"Care to explain to me how your devil has awoken, brother?"

  
"After this, Verge. I know how bad your curiosity can get to you sometimes!"

  
   Vergil tossed Rebellion back over to Dante, who'd swapped Yamato back over to the elder twin. The swords were sheathed, with Dante taking out his pistols, handling one over to Vergil. Arkham gave weakened groans, struggling to stand on his feet as he desperately attempted to move forward and stop the boys.   
"We'll do this your way now."

  
   Dante smiled and twisted around, his back facing Vergil's own as Ivory was held in position towards Arkham. Vergil leaned back against Dante, holding Ebony on top, pointing it's own barrel towards the demon before them. "Remember what we used to say, Verge?," Dante questioned.

  
"No, don't you dare-!"

  
   To which they only replied with; "Jackpot."

  
   The gunshots from Dante's matching guns echoed through the air, making contact with Arkham, slicing right through his skin and causing him to fall apart before their eyes. The sword, amulets, and body were all separated, with Arkham being cast out from this realm. Sparda's sword and amulets floated right over the opening in the ground. Before he knew it, Dante was watching Vergil make a break for them, grabbing ahold of his amulet and the sword, falling through the hole. Dante darted after him, reaching out to grab ahold of him before he was able to fall completely, holding onto the edge with his body laid upon the floor and free arm gripping the opening. This other arm was occupied with holding onto Vergil by his arm, struggling to keep ahold of him and bring him up.

  
"Oh, no you don't-!" Dante gritted his teeth together, hand straining from the force. "I just- Got you back!"

  
   Shocked to see that Dante went after him, Vergil attempted to break free from his grip, but Dante wasn't budging. Vergil grunted, moving back and forth to loosen the grip on his arm. "Let me go, Dante! _Let me go-_ "

  
"No! I'm not letting you!"

  
"The amulets have been separated, Dante! Someone needs to stay behind and clean up our father's mess. I can see that events like these will only continue to happen, knowing Sparda's reputation and that we're alive."

  
   Dante's grip only tightened, causing more strain upon his hand. He moved slowly backwards, his attempt to bring Vergil back up continuing. "And you have a kid back home that needs you, Vergil!"

  
   Vergil paused in his moment, realizing that Dante's statement was indeed true. Nero. ...Oh, Nero.

  
"We both need you! If you're gone, the kid only looses his actual father! You were the one who came to my doorstep that night, in need of help and an extra hand to raise that kid. And he'd damn well better know he's gonna continue having two dads in his life. I'm not letting you leave us behind, Verge. Nero needs us. Needs you. I can't raise that pipsqueak all on my own."

  
   The elder's face began to soften, eyes full of regret for completely forgetting about his own child, the one he'd promised to raise. He'd refused to drop him off at an orphanage. He'd given up his need for power. Hell, he'd even knocked on the door of the living space that belonged to the man who least wanted to see him. Vergil had risked so much up to this point, that throwing it all away seemed like such a foolish thing to do. He felt the guilt begin to build up within him.

  
"Nero..."

  
   And in an act of realization, Vergil grabbed ahold of Dante's hand, gripping it tight as the younger twin pulled him up, bicep straining in the leather jacket. Once he was pulled out from the hole, Dante tugged on the blue fabric of his coat, motioning for him to follow.

  
"C'mon! We need to get out of here!"

  
-

  
   She'd finally approached the staircase leading up to the platform, pistol in her hand, and relief lifted off of her shoulders to know that the bells had stopped ringing. Taking a look around at what had unfolded, Lady looked upwards at the sky, bright orange portal taunting her with the presence of Arkham. But what drew her attention was the sound of said man's screams coming from above, as Lady watched him fall from the portal, and sink down the red beam of light. His fall soon came to a stop as he hit the ground with a loud 'crack!', fingers twitching as to accommodate that he was still somehow alive. The brunette began to make her way slowly towards him, listening to him weakly shunning himself of his defeat. He began crawling forward, body bleeding out rapidly as Arkham began leaving a trail of crimson liquid beneath him. With anger boiling within her, she stepped in front of the weakened man, pointing her pistol at him. Arkham glanced up at her, a strain in his voice as he spoke to her.

  
"...Mary-"

  
   Her eyebrows furrowed downwards. "Don't ever call me that again." She pulled back the safety of the pistol. "My mother was the only one who could call me that."

  
   Arkham squinted his eyes together, knowing she would never understand his reasoning for what he did. "Can you shoot me? Your own father?" She would never be able to obtain his point of view! The fool she was... "What have I done wrong? Even Sparda had sacrificed a mere woman so that he could become a legend! I wished to be a god! And I sacrificed one miserable human being for that reason. Is that truly so awful...?"

  
   He continued to plead to her, knowing that his sweet, innocent little girl was still in there. "I have some unfinished business to attend to. Help me, Mary..."

  
   The disgust that flowed through Lady's veins upon listening to him, and to hear that name slide from his mouth; it was unbearable. To think that her father had ever loved her mother... This was her tipping point. This was now or never, and where she needed to step her foot down. "Mary died a long time ago. My name is Lady." She moved the pistol closer to Arkham, finger on the trigger. "Goodbye, father."

  
   Right before he could speak, she fired four clean shots in a row, continuing to pull the trigger, even as the gun was empty. Her breath heavy, she eventually stopped, moving behind and stumbling into a sitting pose, pistol dropped onto the ground. Then she began to laugh. A happy laugh. A laugh filled with joy from the relief that she'd never have to deal with him again. Him. Her own father... Eventually, said laughter transformed into tragic sobs as tears filled her eyes, allowing gravity to pull them down and stain the ground below her. Her voice was muffled from her switched emotions, the sound of glee and despair filling the air around her as Lady continued to weep.

"And here I thought I wasn't gonna cry..."

  
-

  
   With the portal closed, the twins returned to the human world, and Arkham dead, the trio could finally release the breath they didn't know they'd been holding. With nowhere else to go, Dante offered Lady the hospitality of his own shop, but she'd refused, stating that she'd find her own place to stay. She did take up his offer of joining his business, becoming a hunter alongside both brothers. Though Lady would often prefer to work alone, she wouldn't say no to the company of an extra hand to help out. The twins came back home, Vergil paid the babysitter a hefty amount of cash, and Dante teased him once more for allowing a human to watch his kid.

  
   Speaking of Nero, introductions were quickly gotten through with during Lady's first visit to Devil May Cry. The first time she'd held him, he puked on her, which to say at least, wasn't too horrible as first meetings with babies go. Dante was just glad that there was an extra hand to help out with Nero, now that he could officially go on jobs with his brother. Lady, however, didn't like being taken advantage of and left for babysitting duty, so she forced Dante to pay her everytime. He'd soon find out that she took more that she waged for, but at least it was better than having to owe her money. He still owed her money, but paying her for sitting was one way to make up for the amount he owed. Vergil was wary at first, but after becoming acquainted with Lady (more like tolerating her as he did with everyone else they'd met), he'd allowed her to look over Nero. Nero was just glad to see another face and looked forward to spending time with Auntie Lady. She always told the best stories from what his developing child mind could take in, anyways.

  
-

  
"Do inform me, Dante. How did your devil awaken exactly?"

  
"Oh, I got stabbed." Vergil paused. "Remember how you found me in that warehouse with good 'ol Rebellion stuck inside me?"

  
"...Yes."

  
"After that, I felt this burst of power, like something within me was on fire and clawing to come out. I didn't even know I had that in me!"

  
   Vergil kept his silence, only making a 'hmm' noise.

  
   Funny. That's exactly how he'd planned to awaken his devil if he were to be the one to raise the Temen-Ni-Gru. Seemed like the slip of his plans to Arkham in that year before had given the scholar his own ideas... Perhaps he simply wanted a challenge in his quest to steal Sparda's power.

  
"But tell me this, Verge. When did your's awaken?"

  
"I'd done it all by myself when I was alone as child, after we were separated."

  
"I- What?! And I was the one who needed to be stabbed?!"

  
"Lower your tone, Dante." Vergil held a finger up to his lips. "Nero is asleep, and you wouldn't want to wake him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the dmc3 arc of this fic is finally over. now we can focus on more domestic family time, some planned family drama, and move into the dmc1 & anime arc soon!


	7. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lady watches over Nero while the boys go out on a job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of a short filler chapter, and i wanted to focus a bit on lady here. im hoping to get into some family drama or nero growing up a bit in the next chapter.

"Are you serious, Dante?"

  
"What? Oh, come on! It's just one more time."

  
"You've asked me to watch the kid every day this week so far! I haven't been able to work because of this."

  
"Yeah, but you're the only person Vergil trusts to look over him! Ah- The only human, that is."

  
   The brunette grit her teeth together. If she didn't know any better, she'd take that as a compliment, knowing how lowly Vergil thought of mere humans. It'd been five months since Temen-Ni-Gru, and Red Grave's construction to take the tower down had been a work in progress. Now halfway removed, the reminder of those tragic events wasn't easily spotted anymore. Lady had started hunting demons and devils on her own, living in a small apartment not too far from Devil May Cry. Nero was more than a year now, and had hit so many milestones within the passed time. He could now get up and sit down on his own, he could walk (though with the preferred assistance of Dante or Vergil holding his hands), and he could speak more. Though he could only say three words; Dante, Vergil, and da-da, he still showed signs of more development through the intotation of his voice. He could pick up his own sippy cup, and he could choose what he wanted to eat, completely able to eat solid foods. Nero showed his love for strawberries, which made Dante almost shed a tear from the sight. He also showed a love for animal crackers and chocolate pudding. The first time Vergil fed Nero pudding, he'd experienced a handful of the food being flung at his face, hitting his cheek and forehead with a 'splat'. Dante had fallen over on the couch, wheezing, as Vergil just sat there and come to terms that that had just happened to him. Nero had picked up on Dante's laughing and began laughing himself, clapping pudding covered hands together, making more fling towards Vergil. Lady had also been spending some time with Nero over the months, watching him whenever the boys needed her to.

   But recently, she'd been put on babysitting duty for six days in a row, and she was starting to get sick of it. Lady knew that with Nero around, that meant the brothers weren't able to hunt together often, which made them more money with two devil hunters rather than just one. It also gave them time to spend together, seeming that their best moments were spent with acts of violence, be it fighting or killing together. However, it felt like they'd been treating her as their personal babysitter in the past week instead of their partner, and friend. She was just lucky that Dante paid her for it every time. With how much she'd been charging him this week, as well as the added money he owed her in general, it wouldn't be surprising if that sent him further into personal debt. Lady enjoyed being around Nero, but having a break from the kid was more than needed at this point, and if she weren't so understanding, she'd snap right then and there. But due to the fact that she was understanding and a good friend, she'd let this slide. Again... She looked over and oh god, he was giving her the puppy dog eyes. _Damn it!_

  
"Ugh... Fine, Dante. I'll watch over Nero. But I hope you know I'm gonna be charging you double today." Lady heard the disbelieved hitch in his voice, and merely crossed her arms over each other. "If you've got an issue with that, go find some other to look over him. I know Vergil will have an issue with that." She could feel the sudden glare of cold, blue eyes set on her, which caused her to smirk at Dante. His expression was set to panic as he moved his glance from her, to Vergil, her, Vergil, until he finally gave in and mumbled out some sort of profanity.

  
"Alright! Alright, alright, you win." The younger brother popped open one of the desk's drawers, and took out a bundle of cash held together by a rubber band. His fingers flit over the bills in hand, tugging out the promised amount since he knew she preferred to be paid up front first, and pushed them towards the end of the desk. Lady gave a satisfied hum, snatching up the cash and stuffing it in her wallet. Dante grunted, placing the money back in the drawer, and locking it after it was closed. Getting up from his seat, the white headed man buckled the belts on the front of his vest together, and grabbed ahold of the red trenchcoat on the coatrack. Vergil, already prepared for the job ahead of time, handed Dante his Rebellion once the twin pistols were tucked safely away in his holsters. Dante accepted the sword and stored it away in the guitar case he wore, placing the straps over his shoulders once secure and started to make his way over to Nero, who was sitting on the floor, solving a farm animal puzzle with a stuffed giraffe tucked under one arm. With Dante grabbing his attention, the child watched as his first dad squatted in front of him, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead and ruffling white locks. Nero giggled, and reached up for him as he moved away. Vergil replaced him in his spot, mirroring Dante as he too squat down, and bent over to kiss Nero's forehead.

  
"Have fun, boys," Lady bid as she waved a hand in their direction. Dante waved back, Vergil only nodding his head as he tied Yamato's sheath to his belt, resting at his hip. The door closed behind them, the hum of the motorcycle starting up and taking off filled the air outside and all that was left was the two of them, and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the background. The brunette sighed deeply, running a hand through her short locks, and she moved to sit down in the chair near the sofa.

  
"Hm... I guess it's just you and me again, huh Nero? You know, your dads really get on my nerves sometimes..."

  
   The child looked over at her with a curious look, fingers stuffed in his mouth as he drooled all over them. Lady gave a soft chuckle, and Nero began to stand up. Once balanced, the kid waddled carefully over towards the woman, raising his arms up towards her, motioning for her to pick him up. Lady did so, allowing him to sit on her leg, and she bounced him up and down, which caused him to start giggling again, smiling at her. And damn, if she didn't have a soft spot for this kid... Sure, he was a lot to put up with, and she didn't appreciate not being able to work because of him, but she held the title of Auntie Lady with pride. She allowed a few moments to pass where she bounced him, feeling herself grow bored. Keeping Nero on her leg, she reached over towards the coffee table to grab ahold of the remote. She turned on the television, and the sound of the show currently playing grabbed Nero's attention. Lady turned him around, pulling him close so that he leaned back against her stomach. Now they could both watch what was on. Though Nero didn't understand what was happening, he still found joy and was interested in the movement on screen. Lady was very entertained in what was on, watching the silly adventures of the blonde, teenage witch and her talking black cat. It was fairly new, with only half a season aired so far, but when she was able to catch an episode or a rerun of one, Lady made sure to tune in. The cat, now wearing glasses, made Nero laugh and smile. Lady couldn't help but smile as well.

  
"You like Salem, Nero? Yeah, I like him too. He's goofy."

  
-

  
   A couple hours had passed by, and the two of them had eventually fallen asleep after flipping through the channels, busying themselves with episodes of Spin City and Arthur. Nero curled up close to Lady, and Lady's arm wrapped around the child to keep him close, the room was filled with snored from the duo. Nero's snores were soft and gentle, while Lady's were loud, and sounded almost like the honking of a truck. Quite unflattering, but it left Nero undisturbed. The television was still on, with the remote on the floor as it slipped out of Lady's grasp. The woman's head was tilted to the side, the promise of a stiff neck sitting and waiting for her wake.

  
   The door of the shop opened up as the two siblings returned from their job, blood splattered all over their fronts as well as their faces. Crimson stained their hair, mixing in with the silver streaks. Perhaps not the best sight to be greeted to, but once you get used to the demon hunting business, it becomes less disturbing and mind numbing. Vergil closed the door behind them, placing Yamato down next to Rebellion on Dante's desk. Obviously in need of showers, and a good cleaning of their clothes, the two removed their boots, and their coats. The loud snoring of Lady grabbed their attention, causing Vergil to frown, and Dante to flinch with an unpleasant feeling. But the sight that they were met with was just enough to forgive Lady for her snores. Dante grinned at Lady, asleep in the chair, and Nero who was asleep as well. Vergil looked over towards the pair, the edges of his lips curving up ever so slightly as he listened to Dante snicker wholeheartedly. The younger lifted a hand up and placed it upon his brother's shoulder, rubbing his thumb comfortingly against his bare arm.

  
"See? I told you they'd be fine."

  
"Yes, I know they would be fine. She just... Seemed very taken aback by our request. I know how her mood can affect her reactions as a whole."

  
   Dante gave a 'hm' as he agreed with him. "Yeah, I can understand. I mean, this is now the seventh day in a row we've had her watch him. She clearly needs a break, Verge."

  
"At least these jobs we've taken together have made us a good profit. We won't have to worry about the electricity this month, Dante."

  
"Oh, thank god-"

  
   His relief of worry was interrupted by another snore, distracting the twins from their discussion. Dante looked at Vergil's face, giving a slightly embarrassed expression.

"I say we wake them up, and we can talk about this later. I love that woman, but damn, if she sounds like a tuba!"

  
   Vergil merely laughed at that, looking over at his sleeping child, and how at peace he was.


	8. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> drama heats up between the twins

   Today didn't seem like the best of days to drop by Devil May Cry, Lady quickly learned. She'd opened the door, hoping to snatch up the amount of money Dante owed her since she'd received word from Morrison he'd gotten himself a gig, but what she wasn't expecting was to walk in on a full blown heated argument. There was loud yelling coming from both sides of the room, Dante near the staircase, and Vergil near the sofas. Nero was currently being held in Vergil's arms with a distressed look upon his face as he was tucked close to his father. A tiny hand grabbed the blue fabric of Vergil's coat tightly, and one of Vergil's hands was resting overtop his ears to prevent him from being disturbed by the argument. Lady simply paused mid walk, holding the door open as both twins utterly erupted. While Vergil was arguing just as much, his state was much calmer compared to that of Dante, who's body glowed red, threatening to trigger if it became too much. And that was not something he wanted to happen, especially with the threat of violence in the air, and a child in his arms. Especially a child who looked as if he were on the verge of tears. Lady stayed silent, and watched the dread unfold before her eyes.

  
"All you ever wanted was power; it was all you talked about! I didn't even get to spend proper time with you before you fucked off! And now, here you are at it again!"

  
"Dante-"

  
"Cut the crap! I know you've been reading up on hellgates. I've seen the books you've checked out from the library, and the burning bowls you mistakenly leave around. You've been practicing magick, and are always gone for long periods of time. Vergil, I swear, if you plan on unleashing some sort of army from hell, or plan on obtaining some sort of weapon-"

  
"Dante! That's enough. You're clearly mistaken. If you would simply just sit down, and allow me to explain myself-"

  
   The younger huffed. "Explain? Explain what? That you're growing power hungry again?" Vergil opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by his twin. "I can't let you do this, Verge! Not again! You said it yourself, you've got a kid to take care of, not looking for ways to become superior. You came to my doorstep in need of a place to stay, and I've given that to you."

  
"Dante, will you just let me speak? You're being a child! An utter imbecile! You're dragging things out of perspective, and you've gone too far!"

  
"Oh, I've gone too far? Says the man who puts his own needs in front of family! You were always selfish, Vergil. Even when we were kids, you were more concerned about your own well being rather than caring about your own damn brother. You know I can kick you out. Leave you on the streets so you can pursue your little unfinished plans."

  
   Vergil knew that it was useless to butt in, so he simply shut his mouth, rocking Nero back and forth to calm him down, preventing him from crying. Gods only knows he needed that stress sitting on his shoulder... He already had enough to deal with from the fuming half devil in his view.

  
"I've been kind enough to allow you back into my life, because you know what? I love you! _I love you,_ Vergil! That's what families do. We support and love each other. I've allowed you to live with me, help me with my business... Hell, I've even busted my own ass to help you raise that kid of yours! And god knows, I love that little gremlin too. But you know what? He's my kid, too. Damn it, Verge, _he's my kid too!_ "

  
   The elder continued his silent game, threading fingers through his infant's soft, white locks in a comforting manner.

  
"And if it comes to it, I'll fight for him." Dante's voice became hardened in tone, obvious threat rising between them. "I'll contact a court clerk and make sure I fight for custody of him. I'll take that kid as my own and raise him, since you've obviously got other plans, and are unfit to be a father."

  
   With that said, Dante stormed his way out the door, which Lady quickly moved aside to make room for, and heard the door slam shut beside her. A moment of silence spread throughout the room, before Nero started crying, more distressed and clearly reaching the tipping point of experiencing the situation. Vergil simply gave a sigh, dropping himself into the cushioned chair as he began to shush quietly at the baby, continuing his rocking from before. Lady flinched at the sound of Nero beginning to cry, but made her way over towards the pair as she sat down on the edge of the sofa close to them, leaning over the coffee table and folding her hands in an awkward movement. A musical hum began to escape from Vergil as he ever so lightly started to sing to Nero, a song that Eva used to sing to he and his twin as children. How strange that he still remembered the lyrics... How strange he kept good memories of her, knowing that she never dared to look for him during the fire. A bitter feeling he'd have to store away for now, for his focus was solely on his child, attempting to calm him down. The song seemed to work, as the volume of Nero's crying started to dim down, until it eventually came to a stop and he looked up at his father with curious eyes. The elder twin then leaned over, pressing a kiss against Nero's forehead, and listened to him giggle, arms reaching up to grab at him.

  
   Lady waited for all things to settle, and then decided to speak again. "Looks like things got really heated there... Sorry for dropping in at a bad time. What was all the fuss about?"

  
"He took some of my recent actions completely out of proportion, and came to his own conclusion. Ah, he'll be back... He can never stay away for too long. He simply needs to let out some steam, and calm down." He gave Nero one of his finger's to nibble on. "Most of the jobs we've taken as of recent are all caused by hellgates opening. I've been researching and finding ways to help prevent said gates from opening so we aren't flooded with demon activity. He must've gotten wind of said research, and got the wrong idea. I certainly don't blame him. I haven't been very... pure of heart with previous motives. And just me as a whole." The elder cleared his throat.

  
   Lady nodded with a soft hum, staring down at her hands. "When do you suppose he'll be back? I'd hate to get in between you two working things out."

  
"He's not usually gone for long when things get stressful for him. Give him about an hour or two, and he'll be back."

  
"Right... I was going to make him cough up money he owes me, but I think that'll have to wait for a while."

  
   Vergil chuckled at that, resting one palm against the side of his head.

  
-

  
   Two hours passed, and Dante hadn't returned. Lady left after the first hour, which left just Vergil and Nero in the shop. Two hours turned into three, three into four, and so on, until it was nine o'clock at night. Nero had already been put to bed in his crib, so Vergil merely sat on the sofa, magazine in hand waiting for the other hunter to return. The room was lit by the lamp next to Dante's desk, as well as the smaller one on the table next to the couch. The door handle rattled as it opened, and Dante stumbled inside, seeming a lot more calmer than he had been. Vergil looked up from his magazine, watching the younger lock up the door for the night. He spoke sternly, yet gently at the same time as he addressed him.

 

"You took longer than I thought you would."

  
   Dante froze, slumped his shoulders after, and continued to lock up. Once finished his task, he turned around to face Vergil from where he was standing, and grumbled to himself. Vergil could see the bags under his eyes, telling him just how tired he was.

  
"Are we ready to have a discussion, little brother? Or will you find another bar to crawl towards? I can smell the alcohol on you from here." Though sober (it took more than just a couple drinks to get his half devil ass drunk), he could tell how sloggish he was. Dante continued to grumble as he made his way over towards the chair, dropping himself in, and letting his legs slide out and hit the bottom of the coffee table.

  
"Jus' want you to stop being so selfish... Thought you put all that power talk to a halt..."

  
"I did. If you had simply allowed me to explain myself, rather than jump to the first thought that came to your mind, you would've known what was going on." Vergil sighed, closing the magazine and setting it off to the side. "Yes, I've been practicing magick. Yes, I've been researching hellgates. But not for the reason you think. You know I'm a father now, so it would be foolish of me to give up what I'm doing now to pick up my once desired pursuit for power."

  
   Dante's eyes moved over towards his twin, actually listening to what he had to say for once, preventing any stray thoughts and negative feelings from taking over. An eyebrow was raised towards him, lips blowing his parted bangs out of his face.

  
"The recent jobs we've been dealing with have all been caused by hellgates. Be it some creature that escapes and causes havok, or some mere human that decided to mess with forces they never properly looked into." Vergil continued. "I've been looking into how to close said hellgates to prevent a flood of activity. We've been very busy, and the money has been good, yes, but it's also been stressful, as well as not good for everyday life. Demons roam the streets at night, searching for blood. I don't care for humans as much as you do, but I know how much of a pain in the ass all of this is."

  
   Dante internally groaned at this, knowing that he'd fucked up. God, what was he thinking... Vergil, wanting more power? Especially after coming here, and settling down to take care of his child. He supposed that previous bad blood between them had plagued his thoughts, and he was merely suspicious. Well... Merely wasn't enough to compare to how he felt. He thought for sure that Vergil was back to being up to no good. The hunter ran a black gloved hand through his hair, tugging on the ends before he let them go. He really messed this one up, huh.

  
"...I'm sorry, Verge. I just... I didn't want to think you'd become so power hungry again, and especially with Nero here- You're right. I really did come to the wrong conclusions, and I only put us in danger. I put this family in danger with my goddamn temper." Vergil tilted his head at the wholehearted apology, carefully listening to his twin speak to him. "I hope I didn't make the kid cry. It's stuff like this that really affects them in the future. Hate for him to be scared of us, y'know."

  
"Nero did cry after you left." Dante cursed underneath his breath. "But I calmed him down. He will be fine, Dante. I assure you."

  
   The younger gave a sigh of relief, tension being lifted from his shoulders.

  
"Yeah, uh... Sorry I threatened you with a custody battle. But I really mean that I care about that kid. I am his father too, after all. Though really, I'm just some sort of... Dad uncle. Duncle, I guess."

  
   Vergil shook his head and chuckled at the other. "You are his father too, Dante. I can assure you that. But one thing's for sure; if things were to truly escalate as you described, I would be the one to win him over in court."

  
"Aw, geez, tha- What? Hey! That's so not okay! I'll take you to court right now if I could!"

  
   Vergil got up from his spot, running a hand over Dante's shoulder, nose quenching at the stench of beer as he made his way towards his room to retire for the night.

  
"Get some rest, Dante. You, for a lack of better words, _look like shit._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had the idea for the plot of this chapter for a while. just wanted dante to threaten vergil with custody threats lmao.


	9. Development

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nero grows more, and goes to preschool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof, sorry i havent updated in a while! funny enough, ive been wanting to write a chapter like this, but ive been either unmotivated or busy. ive got a new job, and im working on commissions as well as cosplay for a con at the end of this month. its a little short, but sweet.

   Things had finally began to settle down for the small, collected family living in the shop. Ever since the Temen-Ni-Gru incident, the people of the city had grown uneasy and more terrified of events happening around them, but they eventually learned to cope. The tower had finally been cleared and taken down, the spot where it once resided being constructed into a school. Most of the citizens were in denial of what happened, refusing to believe in demons and hellgates. Some even pinned the blame of said tower on the two twins, giving them a bad name. Vergil at one point had said moving from their beloved hometown might be a good idea, and that Capulet City was a nice area to settle down in. However, Dante paid no attention to those rumors and threats being made, and stuck his foot down, continuing their business where he had started it. They were there to stay. Other people, however, had completely accepted the events and turned towards the Spardas as their sort of ' _saviors_ '. A jest that surely made Dante feel all important and kept him on his high horse, but Vergil merely shook his head at said comments, saying that humans would see anyone as their savior if such a thing was resolved by someone else. Said people did come to them more often, knowing they knew of supernatural occurences and how to deal with them. It was good for business, and helped push back the nasty word floating out about them.

  
   Time had passed, and they all had fallen into a calming routine. One twin would take care of Nero while the other went out and worked a job, and they would switch the next time. On days they were offered jobs on the weekends, they had Lady come over and watch over Nero while they went out together. That way, they wouldn't make the mistake of needing her to look over the little gremlin for a whole week as they'd done before. Lady still made Dante cough up money for that, to which he'd grumble and mumble as he handed her the wad of cash, the brunette giving him a smirk and a wave as the two exited through the door. Days turned into months, and months turned into years. So much had happened to Nero in the span of 3 years that it was hard to keep count of all his milestones. Thankfully, Dante always had a camcorder and a camera ready to go when Vergil felt that Nero was about to do something incredible. He'd learned to walk by himself without any assistance, his vocabulary developed more as he was able to babble out sentences and even sing songs by his current age, his emotions and neurological state developed more as he learned about the different emotions he felt (Nero proved himself to be a quick learner with all the puzzles and books he'd received), his imagination blossomed whenever he had crayons and paper in front of him, and he'd become toilet trained. Dante had a whole collection of photos he'd had printed at the local convenience store, and made a book out of them. His favorite photo? When Nero turned two and had thrown a piece of cake he was given right at his father's face. It was all a joke to him as the child giggled at the chocolate cake splattered all over Vergil's face, and Dante had burst out laughing from the sight. He'd even dared to drag a finger through the remains of said cake on Vergil's face and stick his finger in his mouth. The elder sat through the rest of the party brooding, of course. He'd even scolded Dante for merely thinking of getting drunk on his kid's birthday. Any attempts at getting more than one beer were quickly blocked off with Vergil teleporting in front of the fridge, arms crossed and a scowl written on his expression.

  
   Due to Nero's development and age, the two of them couldn't come into the house completely covered in blood anymore, and needed to rinse off with the hose outside before entering. Neither wanted to scar the poor child for life. Everything needed more childproofing now that Nero was more curious. The devil arms storage was already locked away, only accessible to the twins with a key. But now that Nero could walk, climb onto surfaces, and get into things, they needed to lock up their beloved weapons hanging on the wall. The house wasn't that safe for a kid in the first place, but they did all they could to keep their baby boy safe knowing the work the did. Yamato, Rebellion, Ebony, and Ivory were kept from the world behind a glass case, with a key as well that could only be used by the twins. After all, only they knew where it was stored, and Nero would never find it. No matter how smart for a child he was. A couple months after he turned four, Vergil had enrolled him in preschool so that he could begin his pre elemental schooling. Nero needed to grow used to how it would be, as well as develop more social skills by being among more children. Now, Nero had a couple friends in Red Grave. A couple kids that lived nearby the street they were on, and they played outside often. Vergil was usually the one who watched over him as he played out in the court, however, the other parents made sure to keep their distance from him. They wouldn't say it was because they feared him, of course not. How silly... Though it was interesting to notice how they'd chat Dante up once he'd settled in his chair next to the others with a drink. That was fine, the neighboring parents annoyed him anyways. They never had anything of interest to say, and it was like talking to a brick wall. He'd rather cozy himself up with a book, and look over every now and then to make sure the children were alright. Nero would come over to him, crying that he'd scraped his knee when he fell, but by the time he'd told his father, the toddler would look down to see that his wound was completely gone. Dante had wanted to explain to him about his heritage, about his possible (at this point it was definitely) demonic powers. Vergil, however, had refused and prevented, saying that it was too early for him to comprehend such a subject. In time, he'd said.

  
   On the first day of preschool, Dante had strapped Nero to him behind him with a biking belt, equipping the kid with a snug helmet, jacket, goggles, long pants, and gloves as well. It took him a while for Vergil to trust him with allowing their kid to ride with him. Nero had made a fuss about having to wear so much protective gear at first, but he'd eventually grown used to it when he experienced how fun riding with his cool dad. Nero made sure to be extra cautious by holding onto Dante the wole time, and making sure the belt was tight. With his feet resting on the pedals and arms gripping tight, he allowed them to take off so he could experience his first day of preschool.

  
-

  
"Did you have fun, kiddo?"

  
"Uh huh!" Nero gave an excited grin, digging his spoon into the sundae resting in the glass. He scooped up the vanilla ice cream covered in strawberries and shoved it in his mouth, kicking his feet underneath the diner's table with joy. A great first day of preschool, and a treat afterwards? How better could this day get? Arriving at the school didn't quite go so well for Dante. Some of the parents were bitter about Temen-Ni-Gru and passively aggressively showed no hospitality to him or his child. Some also gave him an earful about children riding on motorcycles and how it was unsafe, which only caused him to yawn when one was mid rant, laughing at how uneducated they were. If his kid wasn't able to reach the pedals nor fit into his gear, he never would've allowed Nero on. But when Nero arrived with his helmet and outfit on, a couple of the kids had ran over to him in awe, telling him how cool he looked, and they introduced themselves from there. Nero had made a few friends, it seemed. How wonderful. Dante couldn't help but smile upon seeing his kid gleefully eating away at the ice cream in front of him. The younger hunter took a bite of his own, making sure to scoop up a bite covered in strawberry syrup.

  
"Well? C'mon, kid. Spill the beans! Tell your old man what you did today."

  
   Nero took another bite, a bit of syrup drizzling down his chin and dropping onto his shirt. "We colored pretty pictures, learned new songs, played with puzzles, and learned all about animals!"

  
"Oh yeah? What was your favorite animal you learned about?"

  
"Tiger!!" And Nero held up his arms, fingers mimicking claws as he gave his best impersonation of a tiger growling. Dante held a gloved hand over his face, trying not to break down into a giggling fit. He couldn't help it! Nero was just so god damned cute! The two continued their treat, and Nero described the songs he sang with the other kids. There was one kid who became fast friends with him today, a sweet boy named Rhiley. He was one of the children who was in awe of him when he'd arrived with his dad at the scene. Rhiley didn't live too far away, it seems, so perhaps playdates were to be made in the future. Nero had also explained that they watched a movie at the end of the day. Something about talking puppets in space, interestingly enough. One of then was a green frog. As soon as the teacher rolled out the television and in popped in the VHS, all eyes were glued onto the screen with wonder.

  
   The two had finished up their strawberry sundaes, and Dante paid for their treats. Taking his helmet, the man stepped out of the diner's booth and motioned for Nero to get ready, and to follow him.

  
"Let's go home and see your daddy, yeah? I'm sure you've got lots to tell him about today."

  
"Okay!"

  
   Nero grabbed his helmet and goggles, running over to Dante's side, reaching up to grab his hand as they walked out, ready to head back to the shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its widely headcanoned that dante and vergil are 45 in dmc 5, which means he was born in 1974. with nero being 24 in present day, that means he was born in 1995! a 90s kid! so ive been putting in slight references and hints that this is taking place in the mid to late 90s with objects and media from the years of certain chapters. slowly getting there to the dmc1 & anime arc. just gotta go through more of nero growing up.


	10. Bringer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nero obtains the devil bringer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its taken me this long to update! work has made me busy, and i also went to otakon this past weekend. it was great, and i had a lot of fun! slight body horror warning for this chapter though i dont think its too bad tbh

   Nero was 10 when it happened. Vergil was out on a job, leaving Dante back home for a day off. He was tending to a barbeque chicken pizza without any olives when he'd received a call from the school. The rotary phone began to rang and he slammed his boot onto the table, causing it to flip upwards into the air. A black gloved hand caught the handset and the hunter rested the phone against his shoulder, leaning his ear to the top and speaking into the speaker.

  
"Devil May Cry. This is Dante speaking, my brother's currently out right now."

  
"...Dad?"

  
   Dante froze for a moment, eyebrows furrowed with confusion as well as worry. There was an unsteady tone in the young boy's voice, telling him something was definitely wrong. Something must've happened at school or something if he's calling. He parted his lips to speak once again, questioning him.

  
"Nero? Is that you? You don't sound so good... What's wrong?"

  
"I... S- _Something happened today,_ and I'm so _scared!_ Everyone thinks I'm a freak now, and it won't stop glowing, and-"

  
"Nero, Nero! Hey, now. Calm down, okay? Everything's gonna be alright. You got your daddy on the line with you. Now... Take a deep breath." He heard an inhale, followed by an exhale through the other line. "Tell me what happened, honey."

  
"Okay..." The young boy took another breath, ready to tell his story.

  
-

  
   A large flinch of pain had struck up today in his shoulder on the bus ride to school. Fifth grade had been going well so far, and it was incredible to know how much time had passed since he'd first gone to preschool. Nero had come so far, and grown up so much. Vergil always looked at him with a proud smirk on his face, followed by tears running down Dante's face and snot dripping from his nose when they discussed how far along he'd come. It was always the same every morning. Nero tying his shoes, Vergil making his lunch, and Dante checking to make sure he did all his homework, tucking his books into his backpack. From thereforth, one of the twins would wait with him at the bus stop, waving goodbye and wishing him a good day once he'd taken off. Nero would then sit down next to Rhiley and they'd discuss whatever was on their minds. They'd been discussing video games that morning, to which Rhiley was excited about the recently released Star Wars: Battlefront II. Nero had brought up the fact that a company had released a game about his family earlier that year. Unfortunately, he couldn't play it due to the graphic content. But having Dante as a dad and uncle certainly gets you things you never thought you'd be able to have. Nero still couldn't play, but he got to watch the younger twin mumble about how 'these events were actually harder that they made them to be'. In the middle of their discussion, Nero had grabbed ahold of his right shoulder and cried out in pain.

  
"Nero!"

  
   The white haired boy grit his teeth, brows furrowing from the pain flowing through his arm. One or two other kids had leaned over their seats to see what the commotion was about, and sat back down once they saw Nero was calming down.

  
"Ah... Ow... That really hurt."

  
"Are you okay?," his friend asked.

  
"Yeah, I... That was just _so strange!_ It hurt for a moment, but then it went away. I mean, it still kinda hurts, but not as bad as it had been."

  
"Maybe you should get it checked out by the nurse when we get there... I know your dads do all that wacky hunting stuff. Maybe it's affecting you! Maybe it's your blood telling you to be like them! Nero, the demon killer! Raawr!"

  
   To add emphasis, the other held his arms up and made a mocking growling noise, only causing Nero to snort, then burst out laughing.

  
"Haha! I wish! That would be so cool. My dads are so amazing. I wanna be like them someday..."

  
-

  
   It was during math class when things got worse. He was in the process of learning about division when the pain began swelling up in his shoulder, spreading through his arm. At first, he'd ignored it, continuing to pay attention. But then it only got worse, causing Nero to drop his pencil, grabbing ahold of his bicep and flinching, which garnered the attention of a few kids around him. It was when he fell out of his desk onto the floor, borderline yelling that the learning stopped. His teacher had gasped and trotted over, holding him up with an arm around his back. She'd placed her hand against his forehead, feeling how he was burning up.

  
"Nancy! Quick, call the nurse! Dial 131 on the phone on my desk! Nero's burning up!"

  
   His grip on his arm only got tighter as the pain got worse. It felt as though something thicker than blood was running through his veins, causing them to burst open. The kids had stood up and rushed over in horror, half with their hands over their mouths as they watched what unfolded in front of them. The top layer of Nero's arm skin began to shift and transform into scales, hardening overtop and becoming a deep red. The fingers of his arm began to grow longer and sharper, almost reptilian, like a Velociraptor's. Claws sprouted out from his fingernails, and his elbow protruded out, blending into his upper arm's skin. The bones adjusted to the new transformation, becoming longer and more flexible among the new limb. The fingers of his arm glowed a bright blue, and several slashes, as well as a long line leading down to the back of his hand sliced open, obtaining the same blue glow as his fingers. Tears had began streaming down the boy's face, with everyone gasping and stepping back, the teacher terrified, but refusing to let him go. Nero continued to yell out in pain during the whole process, and once the glowing died down; the growing stopped, he passed right out. The nurse had come up right in time once his transformation was finished, taking the young boy to her office with help from the teacher. The next door teacher had promised to watch over her children as they got poor Nero all settled. It was 10:15 when he had faded away from reality. He'd woken up at 3:37.

  
-

  
"Wow, kiddo."

  
"Yeah..." Nero finished with a sniffle. A sling was currently wrapped around his arm, hiding it from the world, the glowing stopped. Tissues were scattered among the ground beneath the nurse's room cot from an upset, stressed out child. "I just... I don't know what to do, dad. I'm really scared. What is this? Why did I get it? And... Why does it glow when I'm near certain people?"

  
   Ah... Seems like it was time to have a talk. Not the talk, that had already been dealt with once Nero had gotten the twins' school approval for sex ed. But the other talk. The demon talk. Dante wondered when a good time to discuss this would come up, and it seems like the time has come.

  
"Seems like your arm might be due to your heritage. Our heritage. Well, you're just a quarter, but still. Heritage. Anyways, so! Baby boy, you remember how I told you about how me and your papa are half demons?"

  
"Yeah...?"

  
"Well, you're part demon as well! Less than us, but you've still got that Sparda blood flowing through your veins. My guess would be that your new fancy schmancy arm is thanks to that. Your father and I have certain forms we take when we use our powers, and we can also recover from wounds. Big wounds, small wounds, bullets, stabbings, you name it. Broken heart? Well... That takes another kind of recovery, but you get what I'm saying."

  
"So that's why all my wounds have healed before..." Nero frowned. "You mean... I'm stuck with this arm? Like, _forever?_ "

  
"Most likely. You sound pretty upset about that. I thought you'd be pretty excited about that!"

  
"No! Why would I be? It's caused me all this pain today, and now everyone I know won't look at me! Even some teachers who saw me only gasped and looked away!" His eyes began to water once more, dripping down his cheeks as the boy started crying again. "I'm a freak, dad! A freak! Now no one's gonna want to talk to me, or play with me! I'm just becoming what everyone's afraid of!"

  
"Nero, calm down! We can sort this out when you come home. If you want, I can come and pick you up, get you out early. You can take a sick day tomorrow, and you can stay with me all day. Okay? We can call daddy and talk to him about it when he gets home, and-"

  
"Dad, please! Just... Please... I don't want to be here anymore. I want to-" Sniffle. "I just wanna go home... I don't want to talk to anyone."

  
   Dante ran his free hand through his hair, stress obviously flowing through him, knowing if one Sparda was stressed out, the other would be as well. He took his feet off the desk, leaning back into his chair as he watched the fan above him move in soft, gentle circles.

  
"Okay... Let the nurse know I'm coming to take you home, and we can sort this out together. Alright? You're my sweet little boy, remember that? You're my sweet boy, and I'll never let anything bad happen to you. Both me and your father."

  
"I love you, dad..."

  
"Love you too, you rascal."

  
-

  
   Dante had stepped into the nurse's office with an early dismissal. He looked over towards the nurse sitting at her desk and frowned at the slightly terrified look on her face. Coat ending right above his ankles and guitar case strapped to his back, the younger twin stepped into the cot room. Looking down at his kid, Dante, smiled gently at Nero, ruffling his white locks.

  
"There there, kiddo... It's gonna be alright."

  
   Quick motion from the kid, and two arms were tightly wrapped around his waist, the one arm glowing blue as tears streamed down his face. A dampness was felt spreading through his red vest and into his turtle neck as Nero cried, completely tired from the day. Dante simply shushed him in a kind tone, one hand on his shoulders, and the other running down the back of his head in a comforting motion.

  
"Let's go home, Nero."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dante WOULD play his own game, the bastard he is


	11. Glowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> continuation of the previous chapter! some more duncle dante time, and someone the boys never thought would be is at the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> got DAMN it took me this long to update. smh. ive been busy with my job, life, id been con crunching, and i went to colossalcon east last week. tons of fun! but heres the next chapter heehoo. and thank you all for your lovely feedback! im so glad yall are liking this! ive been bad at getting back to comments, but i appreciate all the comments, bookmarks, and kudos youve given this little experiment of mine <3

"You got all of your things packed?"

  
"Yeah..."

  
"Alright. I got your early dismissal note, so let's sign you out at the office, and get you outta here, yeah? Tell the nurse we're heading out."

  
   The elder shoved a gloved hand into the boy's hair once again with a light affection, ruffling the white locks as he snickered, much to the other's dismay. Just from the upset and nervous look on his son-nephew's ( _snephew?_ , he thought to himself) face told him that Nero'd had enough of today. His eyes were all red and puffy from his crying, his nose dribbling snot with tissues once littering the floor below them, and his breath was still shaky and unbalanced. Perhaps holding off too long on his demon heritage explanation wasn't the best idea in the end. It'd only caused him pain, stress, and possibly some mistrust in the both of them. Nero was smart, and he was able to take in great deals of information to process. He could've easily adjusted to this fact about him. After all, it wasn't every day you got to be way cooler than the other kids. Kinda sad that he was given the birds and bees talk before the demon talk, Dante silently imagined. The hunter watched as Nero pulled the straps of his backpack over his shoulders, then paused to roll up his jacket's sleeve, containing his newly grown demonic arm. Clawed fingers moved slightly up and down, and he twisted it once side, then the other, eyes moving back to the light blue glowing light it gave off.

  
"Hey, dad... Why does it glow? I know I asked you before, but you never answered."

  
   Dante pondered for a second, taking a quick look at the arm, and then back to Nero who looked up at him with a daze of confusion. A serious tone quickly took over his voice. "Did it glow around any of the other kids? Or has it been just me?"

  
"Just you, I think," Nero responded.

  
"You think?"

  
"Yeah... But now that I'm thinking about it, it did glow around the nurse when she brought me in her room. She gave me a surprised look, but I don't know what to think about it."

  
   A silence fell between them after the boy finished up explaining his experience, and Dante's brows furrowed closely together, expression transforming into a look of concern. He readjusted the straps of the guitar case on his back, lips pressed together in a firm line.

  
"...Nero, if it's only glowed around me and no one else, that's possibly because I'm a demon. There's a good chance it glows around those who are demonic or contain demonic heritage. So it would also glow around your father, as well. But..."

  
   Nero gulped.

  
"That means that we have a demon in this school if it glowed around the nurse."

  
-

  
   A minute of absolute silence passed by before Nero was the one to speak up and break it up.

  
"A... Are you going to have to kill Miss Stéfansdóttir, dad?"

  
   The conflict was clear in his face, and it took Dante a while to respond to Nero, knowing there could be several outcomes of this situation. He could be caught and jailed as a murderer, leaving Nero with just Vergil, and Vergil to run their shop. Nero would have to transfer to a different school, and possibly move with Vergil. Perhaps the shop would be in better hands with Vergil, but it would be difficult. And jail! Years of hunting, and all it would take is a murder in public. Not to mention the trauma and changes the school would go through with him just being there and doing his dirty work. So it would simply not be an easy task. Dante thought on it, and made up his mind in the end.

  
"Let's go pay her a visit before we leave, and see if I can wring some answers out of her. If worse goes to worse, well... I'll make sure I use my hands in the end. I can't risk being arrested or you having to move schools because of me."

  
   Nero nervously gave a nod, putting his hood up, and following Dante out the cot room towards the nurse's desk in her office. Nero stood behind him a bit, not bothering to roll the sleeve back up, knowing his arm was beginning to glow. Dante placed his hands on his hips and stood right in front of the nurse's desk; a smile on his face, and his head tilted. Miss Stéfansdóttir, a middle aged redhead with curly hair tied back and blue scrubs on for her outfit. She looked up from her book, marking her spot, and closing it right away. She smiled back at him, one leg crossed over the other under the desk.

 

   She parted her lips to speak, accent rolling off her tongue. "Everything okay with your boy, Mister Sparda? Is he all ready to go home?"

  
"You bet," he answered. "Though, there is one thing that's awfully fishy..."

  
   Stéfansdóttir smiled back a little to forcibly. "And what would that be?"

  
   Dante raised an eyebrow at her, tilting his jaw to the left a bit in a curious motion. "You don't seem to have reacted much to my boy's arm. Everyone else I've spoken to, they look at me with fear and disgust. But you? You act like you've seen that kind of thing around here. Those kinds of scales, those kinds of claws. _That kind._ Would I be wrong, _elskan mín?_ I saw that horrified look you gave me once I stepped into this room. You covered that up pretty quickly."

  
   Nero gripped Dante's coat sleeve as the nurse's smile slowly grew from a smile into a frown. She placed her book down, and gripped the desk's edge, nails scraping against the polished wood. Green eyes quickly turned yellow with black slits for pupils, fangs growing from her top canines and slipping out from between her lips.

  
"I know your work, Sparda. I know what you do. I know you won't hesitate to kill me, not even in front of your little boy." Dante simply scoffed at her. Who did she think he was? "But I'll have you know I haven't done anything wrong. I've been living my life happily passing for a human, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm just here to be the school nurse, and that's it. I didn't even hurt your precious boy. Would you kill an innocent demon?"

  
   She tilted her head in mockery, and raised her own brow to mimic the hunter's actions. Dante only crossed his arms, his smile completely faded away, and child sticking close to him, shaking with fear of the situation's possible outcome. The tension was thick in the room; one could cut it with a knife. Or the sword sitting in Dante's case, ready to be used at any cost.

  
"Tell him, Nero. I didn't hurt you, did I? I even took a look at your arm. Cleaned up that blood, and put it in a nice blanket for you as you slept. Simply just. Doing my duty. Yeah? It's what I've always done."

  
   There was a nervous tick in her voice, obvious from the fact this could be a 50/50 outcome with her life. But she did have a point, as Nero thought. She never gave his arm weird looks, she never rejected him or kicked him from her room. She took care of him. Possibly from the fact an obvious relic of his demonic heritage made him stand out to her, as well as making said heritage recognizable. What demon would reject another one of it's kind in need? Her eyes shifted back to their regular green, and her fangs sunk back up into her gums, shifting her view from Nero back up to Dante. The grip on her desk loosened, and she gently returned to her previous position.

  
"...Y-yeah, you did. You were kind to me. Unlike the others, who wouldn't bear to look at me after what happened. You've always been kind when taking care of all of us." Nero's shaking began to dim down, eventually coming to a stop as he felt a slight tint of comfort from within him, knowing she'd helped him.

  
"...Is this true, Nero?" Dante asked. He was answered with a nod from the young boy's head, causing him to squint ever so gently at Stéfansdóttir. Hm...

  
"I knew what you were the moment I came upstairs to your classroom and saw you passed out. You were one of us. One like me. Or at least in the smallest of ways. Nothing ever compared to me, but it was there. And that arm... It must've been painful to go through what you experienced."

  
   Nero silently nodded once again, feeling a bit more of the tension relieved from him. Dante was still tense, but he surprisingly loosened up as well. His brows weren't furrowed anymore, and he merely looked at her with a serious look.

  
"...You know that it's rare for me to let any demon I come across live. The only exceptions are my brother and my nephew here. They're family. But others... You know the gist. You obviously haven't been stirring up any trouble here. Just wanting to live in the world, and experience life. That's nice. And Nero will have someone like him here if he's ever having a rough experience with that arm." His weight shifted from one hip to the other. "But if I hear of anything funny happening here... If I hear you're making any trouble for my baby boy here, or if he comes home in tears, crying about how you tried to snatch his life, I won't hesitate to come back. Mark my words. I'm dead serious about that."

  
   The white haired elder gave her a sneer, along with a deep frown, taking one of his hands and placing it around Nero to hold him close. The boy gave another nervous gulp, watching the nurse sit in her seat, staring up at Dante with a heated glare. Dante turned around, pulling Nero with him as he walked out the door, closing the door behind them. He released Nero and began walking side by side with him through the hallway. They were quiet before Nero once again broke the silence.

  
"That could've gone worse. I'm glad things didn't result in violence like they uh... Tend to with you. Thanks for that, dad."

  
"Heh, I'm glad they turned out that way, too. I'm too young and gorgeous to be in jail! And don't even tell me the nagging your father would put me through once my sentence is up. I'm sure as hell he'd take custody of you and never allow me to see you again," he snorted. "Besides, it looks like you've got a demon here in this school you can talk to. Sounds like she's taken good care of you before. Demon buddy, perhaps? Yeah, I hope she rubs off the fact i threatened her in her own office!"

  
   Nero simply giggled, shaking his head and pulling the sleeve back down over his arm as they both entered the office, ready to sign out. Boy... Wouldn't Vergil be in for a story once they got back to the shop.

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to follow me on twitter at @buckytiddies!


End file.
